Pumpkin (and Carrot) Cream Cheese Muffins

This year, I'm working Thanksgiving. :( While everyone is getting food coma from a delicious turkey dinner, I'll be busy doing neurological assessments every 4 hours so my patients don't go into an actual coma (haha. I thought that was clever). The plus side is that my co-workers and I will be having a little Thanksgiving brunch. YAY!!! I love brunch's.

Anyhoos, I didn't want to make a my pumpkin pie for brunch (maybe next year) so I did my research on pumpkin cream cheese muffins from various sources and created these lil fellas. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. :)

Cream Cheese Filling
1 (12 ounce) package cream cheese (if desire less cream cheesy taste, use 8 ounces)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Muffin
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin (substitute with grated carrot for carrot cream cheese muffins)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour the pan or use muffin cups.

2. To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.

3. For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

4. For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.

5. Place pumpkin (or carrot) mixture in muffin cups about 3/4 full. With one spoon, create a deep well, then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.

6. Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

**recipe equal approximately 15 muffins**