Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – The perfect combination of pumpkin flavor with a delicious sweet cream cheese frosting. They take very little time to make and you can serve them quickly for a delightful breakfast or as a tasty snack.
Every year, when fall is in full swing, I make a run to the grocery store and stock up on cans of pumpkin puree so that I can make all kinds of fall desserts like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and these amazing pumpkin cream cheese muffins. If you love pumpkin bread and cream cheese frosting, these are your muffins.
And I know that many of you who follow this blog live outside of the United States and are not able to get your hands on canned pumpkin puree. In that case, you can follow my recipe for making pumpkin puree by roasting real pumpkins in the oven and then blending and squeezing out the pulp. It is really easy to make and it works just as well as canned pumpkin.
The same thing goes for pumpkin spice. It’s a blend of different spices and I have a super easy recipe that you can make at home and store for future recipes.
Ingredients:
- Flour: You can easily make these muffins with all-purpose flour.
- Pumpkin pie spice: It’s a blend of different spices. However, you can substitute it with 1 tsp of cinnamon and ½ tsp of each, nutmeg and ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves.
- Baking soda: It’s the leavening agent that makes the muffins rise. Use baking soda and not baking powder for this recipe.
- Salt: The amount of salt we will be using in the recipe balances out the sweetness in the muffins.
- Pumpkin puree: If using canned pumpkin, make sure you’re using pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugar: We will be using a combination of white granulated sugar with brown sugar to create the best flavor and texture. The brown sugar also adds dark color to the batter.
- Eggs: They will help with the structure of the muffins and the cream cheese.
- Vegetable oil: It makes the muffins moist and spongy. I have tried making these with butter and olive oil and have not had the same great results as when using vegetable oil.
- Vanilla extract: It will enhance the flavor of the pumpkin.
The process:
- In a bowl mix the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients for the pumpkin muffins. Then mix the dry with the wet and pour into a muffin pan lined with baking cups.
- Mix the ingredients for the sweet cream cheese. Place a dollop of cream cheese on top of the pumpkin batter and swirl with a toothpick.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20-22 minutes.
These muffins can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Whenever you’re ready to enjoy them, just let them sit in the refrigerator overnight.
¡Buen Provecho!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 1½ cup 210 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup 168.75 g white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup 50 g packed brown sugar
- 1½ cup 327.5 g pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup 59 ml vegetable oil
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Sweet cream cheese:
- 5 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
- In a larger bowl mix the pumpkin puree, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour to the pumpkin mixture and slowly mix until everything is well blended. Try not to overmix.
- In a medium bowl mix the cream cheese, white sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until it is smooth and you can't see any lumps.
- Pour the pumpkin batter into the muffin pan and fill in each muffin until ¾ full.
- Place about 1-1½ tbsp of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin and with a toothpick gently swirl it with the pumpkin batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let them cool before serving.
