So Thankful to be done!

I probably have not done the math right at all. But I think I figured it that I needed 3 recipes to get through to Thanksgiving.....here they are!

Pumkin Cream Cheese Muffins! Another Favorite! We made these on Thanksgiving and enjoyed them whene we got home from the "Black Friday" chaos!

Yield 24 (or 12 huge ones...this is what we did and YUM!)

For the Filling you need:
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 Cup Confectioners sugar.....blend these well and until soft....then transfer mis to a peice of plastic wrap and shape it into a log....about 1 1/2 in in diameter. smoth the plastic around it and seal it closed with foil transfer to the freezer and chill until its firm- (till you would be able to slice them)

Then- for the muffins
Mix 3 Cups flour
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Ground Clove
1 Tbsp plus 1 Tsp pumkin pie spice
1 Tsp Salt
1Tsp Baking soda....mix these dry...and set aside

Mix 4 large eggs
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Pumkin Puree
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil and blend well.....then add the dry ingredients and mix until blended well. it is a little thick....

spoon this mixture into the muffin liners about 1/3 filled.....we loaded them up and they were huge...but yummy!

To make the topping, combine:
1/2 Cup Sugar
5 Tbsp Flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp unsalted butter.....( and the recipe did not say but I added a couple sprinkles of brown sugar.....
cuth these ingredients together with patry blender or two forks....and then when it is coarse and crumbly set in refridgerator until you are ready to use it....

You assemble the muffins by taking the muffin mix already in the liners.....slicing a peice of the cream cheese filling mix onto the top of each muffin and then tooping each one with cruble topping....once you do this it should just come over the top of the muffin well.....

Bake in the oven 20-25 minutes at 350...

These were really a great addition to Thanksgiving weekend....and the pumkin was light!

The additional item we made on Thanksgiving day.....was a repeat! The Pumkin Spice Cake with Orage Frosting was not just dessert but a centerpeice for our table! I used a bit of the mix aside and made cupcakes and just pulled them out of their liners...set them upside down and drizzled with the frosting for individual size bundt cakes!

Our last Recipe to try for The Pumkin Chronicles was a Toffee- Pumkin Cheesecake! It was rich, and intense but I loved it way more than any pumkin pie!

For the Crust,
2 Cups cinnamon gram chrackers crumbs.....( I bought store and added my own cinnamon!)
1/2 Cup butter melted...
Mix until a crumble that can be patted down to the spring pan...the bake this in the oven 15 minutes on 300
then set aside to let cool a bit

The first layer:    Mix....
2 8 oz cream cheese packages softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
add in 2 eggs...already beat well and last stir in
1/2 bag of toffiee bits (the already crushed kind...I could not find so we bought heath bars and crushed ourselves! 
Spread this over the cooled crust

Top Layer:  Mix
1 15 oz can of pumkin puree..... about 3/4 Cup
3/4 Cup Whipping Cream
2/3 Cups sugar
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp pumkin pie seasoning
1/8 Tsp Salt
Then add in 3 eggs already beat well....
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Spread this carefully over the cheesecake layer carful not to mix layers

Bake for up to 2 hours on 300 or until the cheesecaked is pulling from the edges of the pan and is solid but jiggles just slightly in the center when moved. Turn the oven off and leave the cheese cake in as the oven cools with the door opened ( or if you are in a hurry as we were....) grab it out shut the oven off so you dont burn the house down....wrap the cheese cake pan with a towel to keep in warmth and hurry to the family dinner!

Just before serving.....( and I recommend you try to make this the night before and let it really cool!) top with Cool whip or whip Cream then sprinkle with the additional Heath Toffee Crunch!
Our cheesecake was still warm so the Cool Whip just melted right in and bubbled...like ice cream on hot cobbler.....but it still was tasty!