Pumpkin Muffins!

I know it's not exactly prime time to be making something with pumpkin, but we've had a can of pumpkin puree in our pantry for about a year now and I was determined to use it up. Plus, I really felt like baking but was out of brown sugar, which was limiting my options. So Saturday night I whipped up a batch of pumpkin muffins (with the help of THIS recipe, of course).

A few notes:
1. I don't like coconut so I substituted oats in the topping instead.
2. We didn't have pecans so I used almonds in the topping as well.
*The oatmeal and almond topping was delicious and if I make these again, I will continue substituting these items.

3. I used nutmeg instead of coriander. Not because I think they are good substitutes, but because I didn't have coriander. I'm sure it would have been fine to just leave it out but I thought nutmeg would go nicely with the pumpkin flavor.

4. When the filling recipe says to beat the cream cheese BEFORE adding the egg and sugar, do it. I was not paying attention, threw the egg and cream cheese in a bowl together, and ended up with a liquefied mess. It still turned out fine but I think the "filling" really just mixed in with the batter during baking rather than acting as a layer of filling.

5. Try using cupcake liners. I baked these right in the pan, but they were a little difficult to get out. Let me know how it goes if you use paper liners.

6. Put the muffin tin on a cookie sheet before baking, especially if the cups are really full. The topping is quite messy and I now have another "to-do" on my list: Clean the Oven.

7. I had to bake these for about 40 minutes, not 20-25 as the recipe suggests.

8. Share these with someone! They turned out delicious and it was really difficult not to devour them in one sitting. Luckily we spent all day Sunday at my in-laws house so we were able to bring some over there for sharing.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures. I will tell you that mine turned out looking pretty similar to the pictures on the link, so I think that is a plus.