Best Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – Easy Fall Baking Recipe!
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.
- 1 cup granulated sugar.
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar.
- 2 large eggs, room temperature.
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree.
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened.
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
- 1 large egg yolk.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds for topping.
- A light dusting of powdered sugar after baking.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Pumpkin puree: Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices.
- Vegetable oil: Can be replaced with melted and cooled unsalted butter or another neutral-flavored oil.
- Brown sugar: Dark brown sugar works if you want a deeper molasses flavor.
- Cream cheese: Full-fat cream cheese gives the smoothest, richest filling. Reduced-fat cream cheese can be used, but the texture may be slightly lighter.
- All-purpose flour: For a gluten-free version, use a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend designed for muffins and cakes.
Equipment Needed
- 12-cup standard muffin pan.
- 12 paper muffin liners.
- 2 large mixing bowls.
- 1 medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk.
- Rubber spatula.
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Measuring cups.
- Measuring spoons.
- Cookie scoop or large spoon.
- Small spoon.
- Wire cooling rack.
- Toothpick or cake tester.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Let the oven fully preheat before baking. A properly heated oven helps the muffins rise evenly and develop a lightly rounded top.
Step 2: Prepare the cream cheese filling
Place the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl.
Add.
1/3 cup granulated sugar.
1 egg yolk.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
2 tablespoons flour.
Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy with no large lumps.
Set the filling aside.
Softened cream cheese blends much more easily than cold cream cheese. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before mixing.
Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together.
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour.
1 teaspoon baking soda.
1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoon ginger.
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
1/8 teaspoon cloves.
Whisk until the spices and leavening agents are evenly distributed.
This prevents concentrated pockets of baking soda or spices in the finished muffins.
Step 4: Mix the wet ingredients
In a second large bowl, whisk together.
1 cup granulated sugar.
1/2 cup brown sugar.
2 eggs.
1 cup pumpkin puree.
1/2 cup vegetable oil.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Mix until smooth and evenly combined.
The mixture should look thick, smooth, and pumpkin-orange.
Step 5: Combine the batter
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together.
Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see obvious streaks of dry flour.
A few tiny lumps are perfectly fine. Overmixing develops too much gluten and can make pumpkin muffins dense or chewy instead of soft.
Step 6: Fill the muffin cups
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of pumpkin batter into the bottom of each muffin liner.
Add approximately 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling to the center of each muffin.
Then divide the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese layer, covering the filling completely.
Each muffin cup should be approximately 3/4 full.
For more even muffins, a cookie scoop makes portioning much easier.
Step 7: Bake the muffins
Place the muffin pan in the center of the preheated 375°F oven.
Bake for 20–24 minutes.
The muffins are done when.
The tops look set and slightly domed.
The edges are lightly golden.
A toothpick inserted into the pumpkin portion comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
The cream cheese center looks set rather than wet or liquid.
Avoid inserting the toothpick directly into the cream cheese center because it will remain softer than the surrounding muffin.
Step 8: Cool the muffins
Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool further.
The cream cheese filling will firm up as the muffins cool, so don’t judge the final texture while they are still piping hot.
Step 9: Serve
Serve the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
They are especially good with.
Hot coffee.
Apple cider.
Chai tea.
Hot chocolate.
A simple breakfast spread.
For an extra bakery-style finish, lightly dust the cooled muffins with powdered sugar.
Nutrition Facts
Cost To Make This Recipe
Item – Estimated Cost (USD).
Pumpkin muffin ingredients – $4.25.
Cream cheese filling – $2.25.
Spices, vanilla, and pantry ingredients – $1.25.
Muffin liners and miscellaneous – $0.75.
Estimated Total Recipe Cost
Approximately $8.50 USD.
Estimated Cost Per Serving
Approximately $0.71 USD per serving.
