Description
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins combine moist, spiced pumpkin batter with a luscious cream cheese filling and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. Perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack during the fall season.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Muffins
- ¾ cup (165 g) butter softened
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
- 1 cup (225 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) whole milk
- 1 ¼ cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Streusel
- ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (67 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted), melted
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375F (190C) and line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners to get ready for baking.
- Make Cream Cheese Filling: In a mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add granulated sugar and vanilla extract, stirring until creamy and well combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using an electric mixer, cream together softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs until fully incorporated into the butter-sugar mixture.
- Add Pumpkin and Vanilla: Stir in pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, followed by the whole milk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, pumpkin spice, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula until just combined. Avoid over-mixing to keep muffins tender.
- Fill Muffin Liners: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each muffin liner. Use the back of a spoon to create a small crater in the center of each portion.
- Add Cream Cheese Layer: Drop a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling into each crater, then cover with more pumpkin batter until the liners are about ¾ full, fully covering the cream cheese.
- Prepare Streusel Topping: Whisk together flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix with your fingers or a fork until the mixture forms clumps.
- Top Muffins: Evenly sprinkle the streusel over the filled muffin liners.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until muffin tops turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the batter (not the cream cheese) comes out with dry crumbs.
- Cool and Serve: Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool before enjoying.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days to maintain freshness.
- Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened to avoid lumps in the filling.
- Do not over-mix the batter to keep muffins light and tender.
- Use paper liners for easy removal and cleanup.
- You can substitute pumpkin spice with a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves if unavailable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
