Description
Delight in these moist and flavorful Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins featuring a spiced pumpkin batter, a rich cream cheese filling, and a sweet cinnamon streusel topping. Perfect for fall breakfasts or afternoon snacks, this recipe blends warm spices with creamy textures for an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Muffin Batter
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Tin: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners to prevent sticking and make removal easy.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. This creates the flavorful base for the muffin batter.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined, ensuring a smooth wet mixture.
- Blend Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined to avoid overmixing, which can toughen the muffins.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: Beat softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy, creating the luscious filling.
- Make Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold cubed butter using a pastry blender or fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, providing a crunchy topping.
- Assemble Muffins: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each muffin liner, add a spoonful of cream cheese filling in the center, then top with another tablespoon of pumpkin batter. Finally, sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake Muffins: Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean, indicating doneness.
- Cool: Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely to maintain texture and prevent sogginess.
Notes
- Ensure the cream cheese is softened for smooth filling.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender.
- Use fresh pumpkin puree for best flavor.
- The streusel topping adds a delightful crunch, so don’t skip it!
- Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
