Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are one of my all time favorite muffin recipes. A tender, heavily spiced pumpkin batter wraps around a cool, sweet cream cheese filling, so every single bite gives you soft crumb and creamy center at the same time.

They are exceptionally moist, they taste like something from a bakery case, and they deserve a spot on every autumn breakfast table.

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Yes, they really are that good. Keep reading and I will walk you through all three parts of this recipe, plus the small details that keep that cream cheese center exactly where it belongs.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

I first baked these as a thank you. A neighbor pulled us out of a jam on a soggy, chaotic afternoon when our car refused to start, and I wanted to hand over something warm instead of another text message.

This recipe had been floating around the internet for years as a rumored Starbucks copycat, and after one batch I finally understood the hype.

The crumb is unbelievably moist, the spice level is bold without being aggressive, and the cream cheese center is the little surprise that makes people stop and ask what is hiding inside.

It is a three part recipe. You make a cream cheese filling, you make the pumpkin batter, and you make a buttery crumb topping. That is a few more bowls than a plain muffin, and it is worth every one of them.

I usually make the filling first, park it in the freezer while I mix the batter, and then build the topping so everything is ready to assemble at the same time.

If you handle the filling too long at room temperature, put it back in the refrigerator so it stays cold and scoopable.

These muffins are fantastic warm from the oven, completely cooled on the counter, or straight from the refrigerator the next morning with coffee. I have eaten them all three ways and I refuse to pick a favorite. The recipe makes 24 muffins, which sounds like a lot until your family discovers them.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

This is a generous batch of 24 muffins, so it works beautifully for a bake sale, a holiday brunch, or a batch you share with neighbors. The ingredient list breaks into three simple groups.

For the cream cheese filling

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

For the pumpkin muffin batter

• 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 crumb topping

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

One quick note about the pumpkin. A standard 15 ounce can holds just shy of the 2 cups this recipe calls for. You can open a second can and freeze what is left, or simply use the one can. The difference is small enough that nobody at my table has ever noticed, and I have tested it both ways.

At a Glance

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Read through the steps once before you start. Everything moves quickly once the filling is cold.

1. Make the filling. Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Move it to the freezer while you prepare the rest of the batter. You only want it to firm up. If you are working in stages and have a long stretch before assembling, chill the mixture in the refrigerator instead so it does not freeze all the way.
2. Make the batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line your muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda, then 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 the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
3. Make the topping. Combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add the butter pieces and cut them into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. I always get impatient here and finish it with my hands until it looks like the texture of wet sand. Then transfer the topping to the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to use it.
4. 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 cream cheese mixture into each well. Put it lower than you think it should go, because it rises a lot during baking. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing it on top of the cream cheese to cover it completely, then sprinkle a small amount of the topping over each well.
5. Bake and cool. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let them cool completely before serving.

Tips for Bakery Style Muffins

• Keep the filling cold. A cold filling holds its shape, so you end up with a clean pocket of cream cheese instead of a swirl that vanishes into the batter.
• Build each muffin in three layers: a little batter, the cream cheese, then more batter on top to cover it completely.
• Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear.
• Use a small cookie scoop for the cream cheese. It keeps every muffin even and it keeps your fingers out of the filling.
• Chill the crumb topping before it goes on the muffins so it bakes into crisp little crumbs instead of melting into the batter.
• Let the muffins sit in the pan for a few minutes after baking, then move them to a rack so the bottoms do not get soggy.
• If you handle the filling for a while during assembly, return it to the refrigerator between scoops.
• Chill the topping while the batter comes together, and it will be cold and crumbly exactly when you need it.
• If your muffin wells are shallow, use a light hand with that first layer of batter so the cream cheese still fits.

How to Serve Them

These muffins fit just about anywhere. Set them out on a brunch table next to coffee and let people grab their own. Wrap one for a lunchbox treat or a car ride snack. They are also a lovely gift, and I have handed more than one batch to a neighbor as a thank you.

How to Store Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Because the center is made with cream cheese, I keep these muffins in the refrigerator. Store them in an airtight container so the crumb topping stays crisp and the filling stays firm and fresh. Cold is honestly one of my favorite ways to eat them.

If you prefer them at room temperature, let one sit on the counter for a few minutes before you dig in.

They taste great warm, cold, or at room temperature, so there is no wrong way to serve them. Just keep the cream cheese filling cold while you work, and everything else falls into place.

Make Ahead Notes

The filling and the crumb topping are both happy to wait. Mix the filling, cover it, and chill it in the refrigerator if you are not assembling right away. Make the topping and chill that too.

When you are ready, mix the batter, assemble the muffins, and bake. The batter itself is best mixed right before it goes into the oven, since the leavening starts working as soon as the wet ingredients meet the dry ones.

OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES

If pumpkin season has you baking every weekend like it does me, this site has plenty more where that came from. Here are the other pumpkin recipes worth adding to your list.

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
• Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Cake
• Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Earthquake Cake

Any of them will keep the pumpkin spirit going after this batch of muffins disappears, which in my house takes about two days.

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are one of my all time favorite muffin recipes. A tender, heavily spiced pumpkin batter wraps around a cool, sweet cream cheese filling, so every single bite gives you soft crumb and creamy center at the same time.

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

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the filling
8 oz 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
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

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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