Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe for a Perfect Fall Treat

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are hands down one of my favorite things to pull out of the oven once the air turns crisp.

Picture a tender pumpkin muffin packed with spice, a cool sweet cream cheese center, and a buttery crumb topping scattered over the top. They taste like something from a bakery case, but they come together in your own kitchen on a lazy fall morning.

Moist, cozy, and made for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee, this is the recipe I bake first every October. This post may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you buy through them.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

Some recipes start with a craving. This one started with a dead car.

A few Octobers ago, a storm rolled through right as the ball fields were emptying out. I had my three boys with me, all of us soaked, and when I turned the key, nothing happened.

My husband was out of town, so I stood in that parking lot with a dying phone and three hungry kids. A friend’s husband drove over, hooked up jumper cables, and got us home.

The next morning the car was in the shop and I was stuck at home with nowhere to be. So I did what I always do when I have a free morning and a restless brain. I baked.

I pulled out the Halloween decorations, then pulled out the pumpkin and the cream cheese. I had seen this recipe all over the internet for years, always described as a Starbucks copycat, and a morning stuck at home felt like the perfect time to find out if it lived up to the hype.

It does. Hands down, this is one of the best muffins I have made. I brought a basket to the friends who rescued us that night, and my kids still talk about them.

Here is what makes them different from a basic pumpkin muffin. First, the texture. These are incredibly moist, the kind of muffin that leaves a little crumb on your fingers and still tastes fresh the next day.

Second, the spice. This is not a shy recipe. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a full measure of pumpkin pie spice go into the batter, so every bite tastes like October.

Third, the cream cheese center. A cool, sweet scoop of cream cheese filling sits in the middle of each muffin, and it is the part that makes people stop mid bite and ask what is hiding inside.

They also have a crumbly topping, which gives you a crisp, buttery edge on top of all that softness. It is the same trio you find in a bakery case: soft muffin, creamy center, crunchy top.

Now, I will be honest with you. This is not a one bowl recipe. You are making three components: the filling, the batter, and the topping.

There is a bowl for the dry ingredients, a bowl for the cream cheese, a small bowl for the topping, and the mixer bowl. If that sounds like too much on a Tuesday night, save it for a weekend morning. I promise the extra bowls are worth it.

The good news is that nothing here is tricky. You mix, you scoop, you bake. The only rule I would tattoo on the recipe card is this: keep the cream cheese mixture cold.

Cold filling holds its shape when you scoop it, and it stays put in the middle of the muffin instead of bleeding into the batter.

If it starts to soften while you are working, slide it back into the refrigerator for a few minutes and carry on.

You can eat these warm from the pan, cold from the fridge the next morning, or at room temperature on the counter. I have done all three, and I am not sure I can pick a favorite.

Warm, the cream cheese is soft and almost custardy. Cold, it tastes like cheesecake tucked inside a muffin. Either way, they are a very good reason to keep a can of pumpkin in the pantry all fall.

Ingredients

You need three short lists. Read through them once before you start so you are not hunting for the nutmeg halfway through the batter.

For the filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the topping

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

That is enough batter for 24 muffins, so grab two standard muffin pans and a stack of paper liners.

Instructions

You are working in three parts here: the cream cheese filling, the pumpkin batter, and the crumb topping. Read through everything once, set your ingredients on the counter, and preheat as you go. The batter waits patiently, but the filling needs to stay cold.

Make the filling first. Combine 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix until the mixture is blended and completely smooth. Scrape down the bowl once so no lumps hide at the bottom.

Move the bowl to the freezer while you put the rest of the recipe together. You are not trying to freeze it solid, just firm enough to hold a scoop.

If you are making these in stages and have a long stretch before assembly, chill the filling in the refrigerator instead so it does not freeze all the way through.

Mix the dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line your muffin pans with paper liners. This recipe makes 24 muffins, so grab two standard muffin pans or bake in batches.

In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Whisk until everything is evenly blended and no spice clumps are left behind.

Bring the batter together. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 4 large eggs, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups pumpkin puree, and 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil. Mix on medium low speed until the mixture is blended and the color is even.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Stop as soon as the last streak of flour disappears. Overmixing is the quickest way to turn a tender muffin into a chewy one.

Make the topping. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

Add 4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Here is my confession.

I get impatient at this point and finish the job with my hands until it looks like the texture of wet sand. It works beautifully, but if you use your hands, pop the topping in the refrigerator to chill so the butter stays cold.

Either way, transfer it to the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Assemble the muffins. Fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Place a scoop of the chilled cream cheese mixture into each well.

I use my smallest cookie scoop for this, and it gives me a neat, even dollop every time. Place the filling lower than you think you should, because it rises a lot during baking.

You want that cream cheese buried in the middle of the muffin, not sitting on top of it. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, spooning it over the cream cheese so it is completely covered.

Then sprinkle a small amount of the topping over each muffin well.

Keep the cream cheese filling cold. If it softens while you work, slide it back into the refrigerator for a few minutes before you keep scooping.

Bake and cool. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are set and lightly golden. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let them cool completely before serving, though I have never once managed to wait that long. I like them warm, cold, and at room temperature, so there is really no wrong time to eat one.

Notes

A standard can of pumpkin holds 15 ounces, which is just shy of the 2 cups, or 16 ounces, this recipe calls for. You have two easy options.

Open a second can and freeze the extra pumpkin for your next batch, or simply use the one can. I have done it both ways more than once, and that small difference does not change the muffins in any way I can taste.

If you go the one can route, nothing else in the recipe needs adjusting.

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are hands down one of my favorite things to pull out of the oven once the air turns crisp. Picture a tender pumpkin muffin packed with spice, a cool sweet cream cheese center, and a buttery crumb topping scattered over the top.

• Total Time: 40 min
• Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping
½ cup sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, cold, cut into pieces

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Instructions

1-To prepare the filling, combine the cream: To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer to the freezer while preparing the rest of the batter. We just want the mixture to firm up. If you are making these in steps and have a long time before you’re assembling, just chill the mixture in the fridge so it doesn’t freeze all the way.
2-To make the muffins, preheat the oven: To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
3-To make the topping, combine the sugar,: To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. I always get inpatient here and mix it together with my hands so that it looks like the texture of wet sand. I know you aren’t supposed to do it this way but I’m impatient. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
4-To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin: To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Place a scoop of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. I use my smallest cookie scooper. You want to put the cream cheese lower than you think because it will rise a lot during the baking process. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
5-Bake for 20-25 minutes: Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. I like them warm, cold, and room temperature.

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Method: bake