Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

We had two small pumpkins that we haven't carved yet. We turned them into something food-y. What can you make with fresh pumpkin? Bread, cupcakes, muffins, pie, tarts, and even a main course? Too many options! The Pioneer Woman provided a perfect fall themed recipe, something that is sweet yet healthy: moist pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting.

Before processing to mix and bake the muffins, we needed fresh pumpkin puree.

Our two little pumpkins did not live past Halloween. They turned into something good for everyone's stomach.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

First, select a small pumpkin (about 2 pounds). Cut the pumpkin however you like. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center until all the pumpkin pieces are largely free of seeds and pulp.

Place the pumpkin pieces on a foil covered pan and roast in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until lightly golden brown and tender. Sometime the pieces get too dry, but you can remedy that with a light sprinkling of water.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Remove the skin from the pumpkin pieces with a knife or spoon to scrape the "meat" from the skin.

Throw in a few pieces of "meat" into a food processor until it is smooth. Repeat with the remaining pieces. If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time during pulsing until you get the moisture that it needs.

You can either use the puree immediately or you can store it in the freezer for later use.

Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe asked us to bake the mixture into a lightly greased muffin pan. We baked all except one muffin in muffin liners for easy give away. We kept two samples of the muffins, one with a liner and one without a liner. The liners retain moisture for the muffins and make them less dense, which we like better. These muffins weren't as sweet as we expected. However, they are supposed to be healthy, but with a little hit of cream cheese, anyone can make them sweeter to taste.

Need more autumn feeling in this picture...

Better?