Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
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These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are delicious. They’re like eating pumpkin cake with built-in cream cheese frosting, but since they’re called “muffins” you’re allowed to eat them for breakfast. These muffins are a copycat version of the ones Starbucks carries. I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never had a pumpkin cream cheese muffin from Starbucks, but I feel pretty confident that these would surpass them in my book. Here’s why: sweetened cream cheese.
I’m weird when it comes to cream cheese. Cream cheese is great. It is, in fact, one of the greatest foods. However, plain cream cheese must be paired with savory food and sweetened cream cheese must be paired with sweeter items. There’s no getting around this. If you don’t believe me, ask my poor husband who came home with a cinnamon raisin bagel with plain cream cheese for me one day. A no go. In order for cream cheese to be on a bagel, it must be a savory bagel (think sesame, everything, or onion).
This is largely why I’ve avoided this particular Starbucks muffin. But then I saw Annie’s version, where she sweetened the cream cheese (smart girl, that Annie), and all was right in the world. I also added a little vanilla to make it even more cream cheese frosting-y.
This made more than 24 muffins for me. I had enough batter for an extra 5 muffins, but I had already doled out the cream cheese, so I just baked those on their own. I ended up giving some away and also freezing some of these for fear I would eat 5 per day until they disappeared. I altered the recipe slightly to accommodate for two things I don’t stock in my kitchen – vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice. If you have pumpkin pie spice, you can go back to the original version for the amount.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Adapted from Annie’s Eats/Bakespace
Makes 24-28 muffins
For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
For the muffins
1.5 cups AP flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1.5 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1.25 cups canola oil
For the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
5 Tbsp. flour
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
To make the filling, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until combined. Shape the mixture into a log (about 1.5″ in diameter), with the aid of plastic wrap, and wrap the log tightly. Reinforce with tin foil or place in a plastic freezer bag and freeze for 2 hours or longer, until firm.
To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 and line muffin tins with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or a large bowl), mix together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, and oil on medium-low speed, until blended. On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to do any last incorporating of wet and dry ingredients.
To make the topping, whisk together the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. 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. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner. Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffins, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle each muffin with a small amount of the topping mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
What a nice surprise in the muffins…love the combination of cream cheese and pumpkin. Nice pictures as well Elly 🙂
I do like the sound of these. The cake is dark and rich with spices and I like my pumpkin spicy. Thnx for sharing.
Now I know what I’m making for my husband and me Thanksgiving morning. But what shall I do with the rest?
good charlotte. that middle filling is kind of calling me. wow.
These look fantastic. Frosting in the middle for breakfast? Count me in!
So glad you enjoyed these! I also use pretty much only canola oil.
What?! You haven’t had the Starbucks versions yet? I live for them and eggnog lattes every Holiday season, it’s kind of pathetic. I’ve been just adding eggnog to my coffee everyday instead of creamer. Back to these muffins, wow, I am going to have to make these, and probably painfully give them away or else I’d be eating 5 a day as well.
I love pumpkin muffins as is by sheer virtue of their glorious pumpkin flavor. But that filling? That could move mountains. I’m sure of it.
Yikes, this looks so deliciously fragrant!!!
These are going on my to-bake list! They look wonderful!
Oooh, those look GOOD! I love the bit of frosting on the inside instead of outside … ever since I started baking cupcakes for the kiddies’ birthdays, for other relatives’ birthdays and friends’ birthdays I have gotten quite sick of thick frosting coating the top of cupcakes!! Might sound nuts, but its the truth: I make the stuff all the time but never even eat it!!
These on the other hand sound amazing to me and just to see the delicate bit of frosting there in the center makes them all the better!
With the cream chgeese frosting on the inside these would make perfect little handpies when you are on the go.
these look wonderful thanks for sharing :O)
I love that they have a filling!
It looks great!
I never tried / prepared anything with pumpkin. Probably I should start with something like this.
award is waiting for you on my blog 🙂
The second picture is making my mouth water – I love that (sweetened!) filling 🙂