Cream-Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins- GF version

My buddy Blythe just posted a recipe for pumpkin muffins that featured an irresistible blob of rich, gooey cheese smack dab in the middle of 'em.  She bragged to me about them over the phone, too, and my mind began watering. Her fall cravings became mine.

I bought an extra tub of yogurt at the store to make my own cream cheese, and planned to debut these for book club (10:30 Sat am). I don't usually do NEW recipes for other people, especially not timing them so they are literally coming out of the oven and into my car... but it worked out quite nicely this time.  :)  The muffins were moist, tasty, and not too crumbly or dense (often problems with GF muffins).  One friend- a self-proclaimed 'gluten-free-food snob' put it (name ommitted to protect the tactless ;D) "hey! these are pretty good, for gluten-free food!"  So I guess they won't be winning any awards, but they sure beat just watching everyone else eat.  :) Blythe's muffins had a crumble on top, which I left off for simplicity's sake.  That and the fact that I didn't have any sugar in the house. :)

Cream-Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins- GF version

2 c gluten-free flours (1/2 c coconut, 1/2 c cornstarch, 1/2 Maseca corn flour, 1/2 c freshly ground buckwheat flour) 

1 t xantham gum

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 t celtic sea salt

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 c maple syrup (could possibly use 3/4 c sucanat or sugar, but because the GF flours I used are particularly "thirsty," you'd probably need to add a little water)

3 T unsulphered molasses

1/4 c melted butter or oil

3 eggs

1 c canned (or stewed/pureed) pumpkin

1 t vanilla extract

3/4 c yogurt (I did vanilla-flavored) thinned with water

Filling:

4 oz cream cheese (not softened!)

2-3 T (raw, local) honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with muffin liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, xantham gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a separate smaller bowl, fork the honey into the cream cheese till nearly smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk thesyrup, molasses, oil and eggs until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla, and thinned yogurt.  Mix into the dry ingredients in batches.  Make sure you scrape up the bottom to get everything well-mixed in!

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Place a scant tablespoon of the cream cheese in the center of the muffin. (I used my fingers to press it in.). Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.