I noticed yesterday that I still had one lonely can of pure pumpkin in the pantry which was screaming “make something with me!” So I did. I’ve been craving muffins for a few weeks now so I knew exactly what I wanted to make, but decided I’d try a new recipe. I turned to the trusty Pastry Queen. When I saw the title Pumpkin Yumkins… I was hooked! As Rebecca says in her cookbook, these are somewhere in between a muffin and a cupcake. Whatever you want to call them, they were fabulous. They don’t really need the icing but that didn’t stop us from eating them with the icing! I actually thinned out the icing recipe a bit by using a little more OJ so it was more of a glaze.
It wasn’t until I went to type up this recipe that I realized I didn’t prepare it according to the recipe! I used 1 CUP of pure pumpkin rather than 1 CAN. So I used only about 1/2 of the pumpkin it called for (no wonder the pumpkin flavor wasn’t overwhelming)! I’m a little surprised that they turned out so well! So whether you want a slight pumpkin flavor or a muffin/cupcake that’s overwhelming with flavor… this recipe can suit both needs! 
Oh and I omitted the dates cause we just don’t like them!
Pumpkin Yumkins
1 c pecans
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c chopped dates
1 (3oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice
2 c powdered sugar
zest of one orange, preferably organic
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast for ~7 minutes until golden brown and aromatic. Cool the nuts, and then coarsley chop.
Grease/line 12 standard size muffin cups. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed about 1 minute. Add the egg and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and beat until combined,. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in pecans and dates. The batter will be thick.
Spoon batter into muffin cups just to the top. Bake about 20 minutes, until the muffins are firm to the touch or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto racks for cooling. Cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and orange juice on medium speed about 20 seconds. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Stir in the orange zest.
Coat the tops of the cooled yumkins with frosting. Do not wrap until the frosting as set, about 45 minutes. Well-wrapped yumkins will keep about 3 days at room temperature.
Source: Adapted from the Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather with Alison Oresman, Ten Speed Press, 2004