Falling for Culinary Cozies with Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

 

I’ve have always contended that there are four core mystery genres: the classic Whodunit, Hard-boiled, Police Procedural, and the Cozy. Within that cozy world lies a delicious sub-genre that’s had me hooked since I cracked open Virginia Rich’s The Nantucket Diet Murders back in 1985—before it was even called a culinary cozy. (You can read more about Virginia here.) I tend to be a sucker for a catchy title and a vibrant cover, but finding recipes on the end pages? That’s what sealed the deal for me. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to devour every culinary cozy mystery out there, from Michael Bond to Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Ellen Hart, Joanne Pence, and fresh voices like Krista Davis, Avery Aames, and Livia J. Washburn. Keeping up with them all? Not a piece of cake!

 

I rarely make the recipes tucked into these books, until now. I’m turning over a new leaf, vowing to not only read these mysteries but also bake at least one recipe from each. Kicking things off is a seasonal stunner from Livia J. Washburn’s The Pumpkin Muffin Murders. This book had me itching to preheat the oven from page one; I swear I could smell the pumpkin spice wafting through the pages. So, this morning, I gave her Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins a whirl, and let me tell you, they were a fall breakfast dream.

I used a jumbo muffin pan, so instead of the suggested one tablespoon of cream cheese filling, I went big with a two-tablespoon cookie scoop that turned out to be the perfect choice. Next time, I might carve out an even deeper well for extra creamy goodness. I’m also a raisin-in-pumpkin-muffin fanatic (especially when they’re plumped up with a splash of rum—two tablespoons, to be exact), so I’ll toss those in next round. These muffins were a hit, and I’m already excited to bake them again. Here’s the recipe with my tweaks in parentheses. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Slightly adapted from The Pumpkin Muffin Murders by Livia J. Washburn

 Filling:

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

3 T. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

Topping:

4½ T. all-purpose flour

3 T. brown sugar

½ t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. ground ginger

3 T. chopped pecans

3 T. butter

 Muffin:

2½ c. all-purpose flour

2 c. white sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

½ t. salt

2 eggs

1-1/3 c. pumpkin puree

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups or use paper liners (I sprayed with PAM for easy release). Fill empty muffin cups with water for even baking.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add egg, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until combined. Pop in the freezer to set while prepping the rest.

 Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and pecans. Cut in butter with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

 In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Make a well in the center; add eggs, pumpkin, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.

 Fill muffin cups halfway with batter. Remove cream cheese mixture from freezer and add 1 Tbsp. (or 2 Tbsp. for jumbo muffins) to the center of each. Sprinkle with streusel topping.

 Bake for 20–25 minutes (longer for jumbo pans; check with a toothpick). Run a knife around each muffin’s edge, cool in pan for 10 minutes, then gently pry out and cool completely on a wire rack.

 Note: Save leftover pumpkin for pumpkin pie cocoa!

These muffins are a cozy mystery lover’s dream and a fall breakfast win. What’s your favorite culinary cozy recipe?As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.