Description
Autumn whispers through classic Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, blending warmth of seasonal spices with creamy cheese centers. Rich, comforting bites invite you to savor fall’s most delightful bakery treasure.
Ingredients
Scale
Muffin Base:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix until smooth and well-incorporated.
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Avoid overmixing to ensure tender muffins.
- For the cream cheese filling, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until creamy and uniform.
- Create the streusel topping by mixing brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter or fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Fill each muffin cup halfway with pumpkin batter, then add a dollop of cream cheese filling in the center.
- Cover the cream cheese filling with remaining pumpkin batter, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
- Sprinkle prepared streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure smooth mixing and even baking of the muffin batter.
- Gently fold wet and dry ingredients to prevent overmixing, which can lead to tough, dense muffins.
- Chill the cream cheese filling for 10-15 minutes before adding to create cleaner, more defined layers.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend and ensure all other ingredients are gluten-free certified.
- To reduce sugar, replace half the granulated sugar with a natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit extract.
- Create a dairy-free alternative by using coconut cream cheese and plant-based butter in the filling and streusel topping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-22 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg