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Perfect Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins: Easy Fall Recipe

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These pumpkin cream cheese muffins deliver a perfect swirl of creamy and spiced, with a crunchy streusel topping that makes every bite interesting. They’re simple enough for a weekday morning but impressive enough for a holiday brunch table.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup (245g) pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar (for filling)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for filling)
  • ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line your muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Make the streusel topping first. In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add ¼ cup cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Pop this in the fridge while you prepare everything else.
  3. Prepare the cream cheese filling. In another medium bowl, beat 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon flour until smooth and creamy. Set this aside at room temperature.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ginger, and ¼ teaspoon cloves.
  5. Mix the wet ingredients. In another large bowl, whisk together 1 cup pumpkin puree, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
  6. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold together with a rubber spatula using gentle strokes. Stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.
  7. Fill the muffin cups. Use your cookie scoop or a spoon to divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners. Fill each cup about halfway.
  8. Add the cream cheese filling. Drop a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each muffin cup.
  9. Top with remaining batter. Divide the remaining batter over the cream cheese filling, covering it completely. Each cup should be about three-quarters full.
  10. Add the streusel topping. Sprinkle the chilled streusel generously over each muffin.
  11. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through for even browning. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean.
  12. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Notes

Don’t overmix the batter. Keep the cream cheese filling thick. Chill the streusel. Use room temperature ingredients. Fill the cups properly: half the batter, then the filling, then the rest of the batter. These muffins actually taste better on day two.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese muffins, fall muffins, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, streusel muffins, easy fall recipe

Find it online: https://sparklespoon.com/perfect-pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-easy-fall-recipe/