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Perfect Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

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Tender pumpkin muffins with a tangy cream cheese filling and buttery streusel topping. This recipe started as a happy accident and has become a most-requested favorite, perfect for fall gatherings or a cozy morning treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ¼ cup milk (any kind)
  • 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 or walnuts (optional, for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
  4. Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and milk until smooth.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; a few lumps are fine.
  6. Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts if using.
  7. Assemble the muffins: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of muffin batter into each liner. Drop a heaping teaspoon of the cream cheese filling in the center of each muffin. Divide the remaining batter evenly over the cream cheese, covering it completely. Each liner should be about ¾ full.
  8. Add the streusel: Sprinkle the streusel topping generously over each muffin, pressing gently into the batter.
  9. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients matter for a tender crumb. Don’t overmix the batter. Keep streusel butter cold. Test doneness with a toothpick in the muffin part, not the cream cheese center. Muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

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

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