Chocolate Muffins with Pumpkin Frosting

Ingredients

• Muffin Ingredients:
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Cocoa (I Recommend A Dark Cocoa, I Used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 3 cups Sugar
• 5 whole Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• _____
• Pumpkin Frosting Ingredients:
• 1 stick Butter, Softened
• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
• 3-½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Ginger
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• ½ cups Pumpkin Puree

Preparation Instructions

Directions for muffins/cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease muffin pans or line with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy.

On medium speed, add one egg at a time to the butter sugar mixture. Don’t over-beat, just mix enough to blend well.

Add vanilla and mix.

Alternate adding flour/cocoa mixture and buttermilk until combined. Mix well on medium speed for about 30 seconds until smooth.

Fill muffin tins halfway.

Bake at 325° F for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake these.

Let muffins cool in the muffin pan for about 2 minutes and carefully remove to cool on a rack. (Go ahead and eat one while they’re hot. You need to test it anyway.)

(Note: This cake recipe also works well for 2 loaf pans. Split batter between 2 greased loaf pans and cook for approximately 65 minutes at 325° F or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.)

Pumpkin frosting directions:

In a bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.

Add all other frosting ingredients and mix together on medium speed. Add more powdered sugar or cream cheese for a thicker consistency if desired.

(I refrigerated the frosting for about 10 to 15 minutes before icing the muffins, which I think helped the frosting to thicken up a tad.)

These muffins warmed slightly in the microwave are yum yum!

I hope you enjoy! Yea fall!