Instead of being iced, these mildly spicy pumpkin muffins have a sweet, creamy center that bakes right along with the muffin. Moist, delicious– AND attractive! –they’re a lovely harvest-time treat.

1 cup (8 ounces) puréed pumpkin (about half of a 15-ounce can)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (3 ounces) boiled cider* (for best flavor), or dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) milk
1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose or King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, preferably organic

Filling
1 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
a few drops Fiori di Sicilia flavor, optional

*Boiled cider isn’t something you can make yourself, by boiling cider. But it’s so wonderful, in so many different fruit desserts (especially ones with apples), it’s worth it to keep a bottle on hand. It’ll last for months in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers, and grease the papers. Or lightly grease a maple leaf pan.

To make the batter: Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, boiled cider or corn syrup, salt, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and milk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the flour and mix until well combined.

To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar and flavor.

Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom. Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling, then cover with another 2 tablespoons of batter. If you’re using maple leaf molds, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into each of the 6 molds. Add a scant tablespoon of filling, and spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons batter on top. The recipe will make 16 maple leaves, so you’ll need to bake in batches.

Bake the standard muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out crumb-free. Bake the leaf muffins for 16 to 18 minutes, testing them the same way. Remove from the oven. After 5 minutes, gently loosen the edges of the leaf muffins, and turn the pan over onto a cooling rack; the muffins should drop out. For regular muffins, simply transfer them to a rack to cool.
Yield: 12 regular muffins, or 16 leaf muffins.