It's fall and anything warm, baked, and apple sounds like a must make...and a must eat! One of our awesome team members, Kala, from Top O'Food Chain came up with this delicious recipe for Apple Cream Cheese Banana Muffins using our Autumn Apple Fruit Spread, local Cajeta (have you tried Portland Creamery's Cajeta yet?) and crunchy, sweet pecans. Try making these and let us know how you like them by tagging #mthopefarms on Instagram!

Autumn Apple Cream Cheese Banana Bread Muffins (makes 24 muffins)

Wet Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas, smashed with a fork
• 6 Tablespoons Autumn Apple Fruit Spread
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsps. baking soda

Filling Ingredients:

• 10 oz whipped cream cheese
• 4 tsps. cajeta or salted caramel sauce
• 2 tsps. all-purpose flour
• Add ½ cup toasted and chopped pecans

Glaze:

• 4 Tbsps. melted butter still very warm
• 3 Tbsps. cajeta or salted caramel sauce
• 4 Tbsps. Autumn Apple
• 2 tsps. sifted powdered sugar
• ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans (or small whole pecans, 2 per muffin for extra décor)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine all wet ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients until just combined.
3. Spoon banana batter into cupcake liners in a muffin tin, filling halfway. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of batter, one half of spoonful on each side of cupcake liner. Fill the rest of the liner to ¼ inch below top of liner with banana batter and give a quick stir with a chopstick or skewer to mix batter & cream cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes, turn pan, bake for 8 more minutes or until a toothpick pulls cleanly out of muffin center.
5. Cool and top with glaze!