Make these. Now. Drop whatever you are doing and make them. You will be glad you did.

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional, I don’t like nuts)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until combined, if you beat it too much it will get soupy and that’s kind of yucky.

3. For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

4. For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth. (Or be like me and throw all ingredients into your mixer and then turn it on)

5. Line two muffin tins with paper cups. Fill each cup half full (not much more than half or it will overflow when it cooks, ask me how I know…) and then add approx 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in the middle of the muffin and top with a spoon ful of streusel.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, mine usually are done in 20.

Yield: 24 regular muffins or 16 regular and 24 mini muffins. The mini ones are super fun!