Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
intro
Moist, warmly spiced pumpkin muffins with a tangy sweet cream cheese center, a cozy fall baked treat ideal for breakfast or snacks.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat the Oven, Make Filling
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper baking liners. In a small bowl, mix 226g softened full-fat cream cheese, 50g granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with a hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute until completely smooth with no lumps. Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of the filling onto a small parchment-lined plate, then place the plate in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend, and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt for 30 seconds until fully combined with no clumps of spice remaining.
Whisk the Wet Ingredients
In a large separate mixing bowl, whisk together 425g plain pumpkin puree, 150g packed light brown sugar, 2 room-temperature large eggs, 80ml neutral vegetable oil, 60ml room-temperature whole milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for 1 minute until the mixture is a smooth, uniform deep orange with no streaks of egg visible.
Fold Dry into Wet
Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the bowl of wet pumpkin ingredients, and use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together for 20-25 seconds, stopping as soon as no dry flour streaks remain. Do not overmix; small lumps in the batter are acceptable and will keep muffins tender.
Layer the Batter and Filling
Scoop 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into the bottom of each lined muffin cup, then place one frozen cream cheese dollop directly in the center of each batter portion. Top each cream cheese dollop with 1 more tablespoon of pumpkin batter, fully covering the filling so no cream cheese is exposed. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 1/2 teaspoon of raw turbinado sugar, if using.
Bake the Muffins Until Done
Place the muffin tin on the middle rack of the preheated 190°C (375°F) oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin portion (avoiding the soft cream cheese center) comes out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached. Remove the tin from the oven, let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Freezing the cream cheese filling dollops prevents the filling from sinking to the muffin bottom or leaking out during baking; do not skip this 15-minute chill step.
3.Stop folding the batter as soon as dry flour streaks disappear; overmixing develops gluten in the flour and results in dense, tough muffins instead of a light, tender crumb.
OMG these pumpkin cream cheese muffins are a GAME CHANGER! I brought them to my kid’s fall soccer potluck last weekend and every single parent asked for the recipe. The cream cheese center is so perfectly tangy against the spiced pumpkin, I could eat three for breakfast no shame. 10/10 will be making these every week from now until Thanksgiving!
SO good. I made a batch for my weekly meal prep on Sunday and they held up perfectly all week for quick grab-and-go breakfasts with my morning latte. I added a tiny extra dash of cinnamon on top of the streusel and *chef’s kiss*
I don’t even bake that often and these turned out perfect first try! Super easy to follow instructions, 50 minute cook time was spot on for my oven. My wife said they’re better than the ones we get at our local bakery. Will be making these for our Halloween block party next week.
Made these last night for my dorm floor fall hangout and they were gone in 10 minutes flat. Only note: I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice so I mixed my own (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove) and it worked great. Super easy recipe even with a tiny dorm oven!
Wait has anyone tried making these with gluten free all purpose flour? I have a sensitivity but have been craving pumpkin muffins like crazy this fall. The recipe looks so good I don’t want to pass it up!
The cream cheese filling is literally the best part — I may have added an extra dollop in each muffin cup oops. No regrets though, every bite was so moist and flavorful, no dry crumbly muffin garbage here. 10/10
Packed a couple of these for my fall hike last weekend and they were the perfect trail snack. Not too sweet, held up in my backpack no problem, gave me just the right energy boost for the last mile up. Will be adding these to my regular hiking snack rotation.
This was my first time ever making muffins from scratch and I was so nervous, but the instructions were so straightforward! They came out looking exactly like the photo, which almost never happens for me. My roommate said they’re the best thing I’ve ever baked.
These tasted amazing, my kids loved them even with the wonky filling, but my cream cheese filling sank to the bottom of half the muffins when I baked them. Did I do something wrong? I followed the recipe exactly as written, I even chilled the filling like I saw some people recommend online.
Brought these in for my team’s fall office potluck today and not a single one was left. Even my boss who swears he ‘hates pumpkin anything’ had two! The streusel topping adds the perfect little crunch that makes them feel extra fancy, even though they’re so easy to throw together.
Has anyone tested these with vegan cream cheese and flax eggs? My daughter is vegan and comes home for fall break next week, I want to make a treat she can enjoy too!
OMG I’ve made three batches of these in the last two weeks. I’m addicted. I added a little maple glaze drizzle on top of the last batch and I think I’ve reached peak fall. My neighbors are probably sick of me dropping muffins off on their porches at this point lol
Wait has anyone made these in an air fryer oven? My regular oven is on the fritz right now and I’m dying to make these, I’ve had the can of pumpkin in my pantry for two weeks waiting.
I’ve been making pumpkin muffins for 40 years and this recipe is hands down the best one I’ve ever tried. The cream cheese filling adds such a lovely richness, and the spice blend is perfectly balanced — not too much clove, which is my biggest pet peeve with pumpkin baked goods. My grandkids begged me to make a second batch before they even finished their first after-school snack.