Go Back

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins - Soft, Spiced, and Bakery-Worthy

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Cream Cheese Filling: 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • Pumpkin Muffin Batter: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (220 g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional, but great)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or light olive oil)
  • 1/4 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened non-dairy)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Optional Topping: 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sparkle and crunch

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease well.
  2. Make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Mix until creamy with no lumps. Set aside.
  3. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Break up any brown sugar clumps.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
  5. Combine batter: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine.
  6. Fill the muffin cups: Add about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter to each liner. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into the center of each. Top with another tablespoon or so of pumpkin batter to mostly cover the cream cheese. The cups should be about 3/4 full.
  7. Optional topping: Sprinkle each muffin with a pinch of turbinado sugar.
  8. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin portion comes out clean. A little cream cheese on the toothpick is fine.
  9. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Let them cool at least 15 minutes before eating so the centers set.
  10. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cream cheese will firm up as they cool, giving that cheesecake-like bite.