Pumpkin Muffins [+ cream cheese] or [+ chocolate chips]

As promised, a pumpkin muffin recipe that is well worth the calories. This recipe is one that I embellished on and customized off of All Recipes, a website I love so much that I'm a "supporting member," which allows me to save all the customizations that I make to recipes I find.  Awesome, awesome feature.  Okay, I know this sounds like an ad, but it's not.  I'm just sayin . . .

Again, my trusty helpers assisted me!  Oh, and no picture of the finished products--they were gone before I remember to take a photo!

Pumpkin Muffins 

Yields 2 Dozen 
(because, really, what's the point of making only 12?)

• 1 1/2 cups white OR packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil OR melted butter
•  4 eggs
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
•  3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• opt. (1 tsp. Pumpkin Spice--it's really a mixture of all of the stuff you just put in, but just a touch more!)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Delicious Variations:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins:  Add 1-2 cups semi-swettchocolate chips

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
Mix 1 8oz. pkg. Cream Cheese and 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar.  Blend well.  Taste and add more sugar, if desired.

Fill muffin cups 1/3 full of batter, then dollop cream cheese mixture over the top.  Put another dollop of the batter on top of the cream cheese.  Bake as directed.