Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

My first blog!  I have been wanting to do this for awhile now and time has been escaping me.  So here I am, blogging my cooking creations, the good, the bad and perhaps, even the inedible.  Although I don't have many of those, I actually had one last night.  I was broiling some garlic bread, which I have discovered, broils much faster under an electric broiler than a gas and the bread actually started on fire!  Probably doesn't instill much confidence in my cooking ability, huh?  Now I know why my mom always left the oven door open when broiling with her electric oven.  Because in 2 minutes, it is done and in five it is on fire!
I have been wanting to make these for several weeks now.  They are my go to pumpkin muffin, with the perfect mix of all things fall...  pumpkin, apple, warm cinnamon and sweet!  I added a cream cheese mix to the top of some, adding a bit of sugar and maybe 1/2 an egg white to the cream cheese to make it a little cheesecake like.  Did a dollop on top and put them in the oven.  My only problem with this was I wished I had put more cream cheese in them.  YUM!  You can also make them as loaves or my favorite, as jumbo muffins.  This is a great pumpkin recipe for warming you up on a crisp fall day.

PUMPKIN APPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil**
• 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple
• TOPPING
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 18-22 muffin cups or use paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 23 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.     Yields about 20 muffins. 

* can easily substitute half whole wheat flour

**I use half oil and half drained plain applesauce

FOR CREAM CHEESE FILLING:  Take about 3-4 oz. softened cream cheese.  Add about 1 TBSP sugar, and just a drizzle of an egg white and a dash of vanilla.  Mix well.  Make a little divot in the center of the muffins before streusel is on, add a dollop of cream cheese and then cover with streusel.