Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Soft, moist pumpkin muffins filled with a sweet and creamy cream cheese center, finished with crunchy pepitas and warm pumpkin spice. These homemade pumpkin cream cheese muffins are perfect for fall breakfasts, brunch, coffee breaks, and Thanksgiving gatherings.
Servings: 12
Calories: 280kcal
Ingredients
- For the Pumpkin Muffins
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Topping
- 2 –3 tablespoons pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, flour, milk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag or zip-top bag and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, egg, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the pumpkin batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Make a small well in the center of each muffin and pipe about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling into each.
- Sprinkle the tops with pepitas.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the pumpkin muffin portion is set and a toothpick inserted into the muffin portion comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.
Notes
- Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Full-fat block cream cheese gives the best filling consistency.
- Do not overmix the muffin batter.
- When checking doneness, insert the toothpick into the pumpkin muffin portion rather than directly into the cream cheese.
- Allow the muffins to cool before serving so the cream cheese filling can set.
Nutrition
- Calories: ~280 kcal
- Carbohydrates: ~39 g
- Protein: ~5 g
- Fat: ~12 g
- Saturated Fat: ~6 g
- Cholesterol: ~40 mg
- Sodium: ~250 mg
- Fiber: ~2 g
- Sugar: ~23 g