Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
User Reviews
4.6
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Description
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins feature a moist pumpkin muffin studded with warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice. The muffin batter includes vegetable oil, eggs, granulated sugar, and pumpkin puree, producing a tender crumb. A cream cheese filling sweetened with powdered sugar is frozen into small portions and inserted into the muffins before baking, creating a creamy center. The muffins are topped with a streusel made of sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon, which crisps during baking for a crunchy contrast.
The spices are balanced for a subtle, warm flavor, and adjustments can be made to sugar content depending on preference. The muffins bake in standard or deeper muffin tins; if using shallow tins, expect more smaller muffins or possible spillover. These muffins can be enjoyed as a seasonal treat for breakfast or snacks, offering the richness of cream cheese and the comforting taste of pumpkin spice.
Freezing the cream cheese filling beforehand helps maintain distinct pockets of creamy texture inside the baked muffins. To reduce sugar, it can be cut down while still maintaining sweetness. Using a half applesauce and half oil mixture is also an option for the wet ingredients. The recipe can easily be halved for smaller batches.
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 egg large
- 1 cup vegetable oil I often sub half applesauce/half oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (15-ounce) (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter cubed, cold
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- For the cream cheese filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix with a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until smooth. On a piece of parchment paper or greased foil, form the soft mixture into a log making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan once cut into pieces. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours. ALTERNATE METHOD: sometimes I use my small cookie scoop (about a tablespoon in size) and portion out 24 cream cheese dollops on a parchment-lined plate or tray and freeze that way.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners (can bake in batches if you only have one pan) - see the note below for tips on muffin tins and how many to use.
- For the muffins, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine; set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil (and applesauce if using), sugar and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't overmix; a few lumps are ok!).
- For the streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix together with a handheld electric mixer, pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.
- Fill each muffin cup 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices (no need to slice if you portioned the cream cheese mixture into individual dollops and froze). Place a slice or dollop of cream cheese on top of the batter in each muffin well and press lightly into the batter (no need to aggressively shove to the bottom, just a light press).
- Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese (filling the muffin tins about 2/3 to 3/4 full, depending on how deep the muffin cups are). Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, combine 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon each of nutmeg and cloves to make the equivalent of 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; triple this blend for the recipe amount.
- Adjust nutmeg and cloves in the batter to taste; the recipe uses 1/2 teaspoon each, reduced from earlier versions.
- Use deeper muffin tins to avoid spillover; if using shallow tins, consider making about 32 muffins instead of 24.
- You can reduce granulated sugar to 1 1/2 cups for a less sweet muffin without compromising taste.
- Freezing the cream cheese filling log or pre-portioned dollops before baking helps create distinct creamy centers.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 24Muffins (makes 24-32)
Amount Per Serving
Calories kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 Muffin | |
| Calories | 230kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 41g | 14% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 43mg | 14% |
| Sodium | 202mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 27g | 54% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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