Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins

 Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins are a delicious breakfast indulgence combining pumpkin bread and cheesecake. Sounds delightful, right?

With autumn’s arrival, it’s nice to have all the apple and pumpkin treats with their warm spices like cinnamon and ginger. These are essentially Pumpkin Cupcakes, but calling them muffins make them breakfast worthy, right?

Why You Must Make

I took our family recipe for pumpkin bread and pushed it to another level! A dollop of sweetened cream cheese transformed a simple Pumpkin Muffin Recipe into a tantalizing treat. And a sprinkling of demerara  or another coarse sugar gave these the sparkle they deserved.

• These muffins are perfect for a fall breakfast or brunch.
• If you’re a fan of pumpkin bread, you’ll love this pumpkin muffin recipe.
• The cream cheese filling is a delicious surprise!!

Ingredient Notes:

• Kitchen Staples – Salt, Flour, Brown Sugar, Water, Vegetable oil (like Canola), Baking Soda, Cinnamon
• Pumpkin Puree – Check the label closely as this is not pumpkin pie mix, just plain pumpkin. You will only need about half a 15-ounce can.
• Eggs – Use standard large eggs, and have them at room temperature for easier incorporation.
• Baking Powder – Unlike baking soda, baking powder has a much shorter shelf life. To check its potency, put a spoonful in some hot water. If it’s active, it will bubble vigorously. If it does not, replace your supply before starting this recipe.
• Ground Allspice and Ground Cloves – Both spices are delicious with pumpkin.
• Cream Cheese – At room temperature for easy blending. 
• Vanilla Extract – Use real, not imitation vanilla. Lemon juice is another alternative, but just a touch to balance out the richness of the cream cheese.
• Coarse Sugar – An optional topping; gives a nice finishing touch.

Tips for Making Pumpkin Muffins

• As with every recipe, measure carefully. To measure dry ingredients, it’s always best to spoon the ingredient into the meausuring cup, then use a tool with a flat edge, like an offset spatula or knife, to remove any excess that’s above the rim.
• When measuring liquids, look at the measuring cup at eye level to make sure the liquid is up the the mark for the correct amount.
• Have your eggs at room temperature for easy incorporation.
• PRO-Tip: Don’t over-mix. You don’t want to beat air into the batter or over-activate the leaveners.
• PRO-Tip: And speaking of leaveners, this recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda. Baking soda has a long shelf life, but baking powder does not. Check the expiration date on the baking powder and purchase a new tin if necessary. You can also test the potency of baking powder by putting a spoonful into a container with some very hot water. If it’s still active, it will bubble vigorously. If it doesn’t, it’s too old to use.
• Note that the tops of the muffins will have a little divot after they’re baked. This is normal for this recipe due to the filling.
• If you want to push these over the top, make a streusel to top the muffins before baking!

Add these Pumpkin Muffins to your holiday breakfast or brunch menu

I hosted a coffee last week and needed a few baked goodies for my dear friends. Smack dab in the middle of autumn, a pumpkin dish was in order. Despite having more spices, my first attempt was rather bland. So I went back to my tried and true pumpkin bread recipe and created an even more appealing version of these cream cheese-filled pumpkin muffins.

The cream cheese filling bakes along with the pumpkin batter and you may find a little gap when you cut into your muffin or a divot in the top…but do not worry, they will still taste amazing. You can add a little lemon juice for tang, vanilla, or even a couple drops of Fiori di Sicilia (a citrusy vanilla flavoring from King Arthur Flour) to the cream cheese. Adapt it to your liking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Pumpkin Muffins good for you?
Well, they aren’t exactly health food, but they do contain some healthy ingredients. The eggs provide protein, the pumpkin contains Vitamins A and C, and the cream cheese contains calcium and protein. So they are definitely better for you than say a chocolate cupcake!

How Do You Prevent the Cream Cheese Filling from Sinking to the bottom of each muffin?

I have tried freezing cream cheese balls in attempt to minimize sinkage, but it wasn’t a perfect solution. You could also chill scoops of the filling and when cold, pat the mounds flat, then lay the rounds on top of the muffin batter after about filling ⅔ of the way with batter. Add more batter to cover the cream cheese and bake.

Are These Like Starbuck’s Pumpkin Muffins?

I haven’t eaten Starbuck’s version, but I think they may have a streusel topping. A mixture of flour, brown sugar and butter could be crumbled over the top before baking. It sounds delicious to me!!!

You May Also Like:

• Cranberry Pumpkin Rolls from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Challah
• Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Apple Pumpkin Bread
• Mini Pumpkin Bread
• More Bread Recipes

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The Recipe:

Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Yield 16 muffins

These muffins are like eating pumpkin bread AND cheesecake for breakfast!

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin purée (about half a standard 15-ounce can)
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ⅓ cup water
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla or lemon juice
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling tops, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray liners with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Stir in the water.
3. Put the cream cheese in a medium bowl. Stir in the sugar and vanilla (or lemon juice if you prefer).
4. Put a scant 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each muffin cup. Scoop a rounded teaspoon of the cream cheese filling and drop it in the center of the pumpkin batter. Top with another 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Cool pan on rack for about 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan to finish cooling.

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  Measuring Spoons
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  Set of Glass Mixing Bowls
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  Cupcake Tin

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 muffin
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 278mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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