Description
Delight in these moist and flavorful Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, featuring a spiced pumpkin batter, a luscious cream cheese center, and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. Perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, these muffins are a comforting fall treat that balances sweetness and tanginess with a tender crumb.
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
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners to ensure easy removal and cleanup.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ground ginger, ensuring an even distribution of spices.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined.
- Make Muffin Batter: Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined, being careful not to over-mix to maintain a tender muffin texture.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: Using a mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Then blend in the 1/2 cup all-purpose flour to create the filling that will give a creamy surprise inside the muffins.
- Make Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cold cubed butter. Cut the butter into the sugar mixture using a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs for a crunchy topping.
- Assemble Muffins: Spoon 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin batter into each lined muffin cup. Add a spoonful of cream cheese filling in the center, then cover with about one tablespoon of pumpkin batter. Finally, sprinkle the streusel topping generously on each muffin.
- Bake and Cool: Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin (avoiding the cream cheese center) comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not overmix the muffin batter; overmixing can cause dense muffins.
- Make sure cream cheese is softened to blend smoothly for the filling.
- Use fresh pumpkin puree, either homemade or canned 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Warm muffins slightly before serving for best flavor and texture.
