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Perfect Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

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Tender pumpkin muffins with a tangy cream cheese center and crunchy streusel topping. These easy, one-bowl muffins are perfect for fall baking and are sure to become a tradition.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (canola or melted coconut oil also work)
  • ¼ cup milk (whole milk preferred)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for filling)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for filling)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional, for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Add cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or fingertips to work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces. Stir in pecans if using. Refrigerate while preparing other components.
  3. Make the cream cheese filling: In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon flour and mix until just combined. Set aside.
  4. Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Break up any brown sugar lumps.
  5. Mix wet ingredients: In another medium bowl, whisk eggs. Add pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold with a rubber spatula until just combined (a few streaks of flour are fine). Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
  7. Assemble muffins: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin liner. Add a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center. Top with another tablespoon of batter, covering the cream cheese completely. Fill each liner about ¾ full. Sprinkle streusel generously on top.
  8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean. Tops should be golden brown and streusel crispy.
  9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before eating (filling sets as it cools).

Notes

For best results, use room temperature ingredients. If cream cheese filling bubbles out, don’t worry. Let muffins cool completely before eating to avoid burning mouth and to allow filling to set. Muffins taste even better on day two. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze individually wrapped for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese muffins, streusel muffins, fall baking, pumpkin spice, easy muffins

Find it online: https://forkmila.com/perfect-pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-recipe/