Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese

Makes: 10–12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20–24 minutes

Pumpkin and cinnamon make a particularly good pairing bringing that warm, gently spiced flavour. These muffins are soft and tender with plenty of pumpkin throughout the batter, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and finished with a little swirl of maple cinnamon cream cheese that melts into the top. They have the look of a proper weekend bake without requiring anything complicated in the kitchen, which makes them a lovely recipe to make with children. Little hands can help measure the spices, stir the pumpkin mixture and spoon the batter into the cases, while the maple cream cheese can be added once the muffins have cooled slightly. It will melt slightly into the warm muffin and adds a creamy, lightly tangy contrast to the pumpkin and cinnamon, while still keeping the recipe firmly in the realm of an everyday homemade treat. For a fully plant-based version, use your favourite dairy-free milk and cream cheese. They’re delicious slightly warm from the oven, when the topping is soft and creamy, but they also make a lovely lunchbox or afternoon snack once cooled.

Ingredients
For the muffins
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup pumpkin purée
½ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
⅓ cup melted coconut oil or neutral oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the maple cinnamon topping
½ cup plant-based cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, plant-based milk, melted coconut oil and vanilla. Stir until smooth, then add the apple cider vinegar.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold everything together until just combined. Try not to over mix the batter, as this can make the muffins heavier rather than soft and tender.

4. Divide the batter between the muffin cases, filling each one around three-quarters full. Bake for 20–24 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

5. While the muffins are baking, prepare the topping by mixing the softened plant-based cream cheese with the maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag, or simply use a small spoon if you prefer a more rustic finish.

6. Allow the muffins to cool for around 10 minutes. To recreate the look of the muffins in the photograph, use a small knife or the back of a piping nozzle to make a little indentation in the centre of each muffin, then pipe or spoon a generous dollop of the maple cinnamon cream cheese into the opening. Finish with a very light dusting of cinnamon.