Description
These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are super soft and filled with a sweet cream cheese center. Bursting with warm pumpkin spice flavors, they bake to a tall, moist perfection with a crunchy sugar topping. Perfect for a cozy fall breakfast or snack, this easy recipe uses simple ingredients and combines a spiced pumpkin batter with a luscious cream cheese filling.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffins
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 15 oz Pumpkin puree (about 1 can)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup Brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 1 Large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk, room temperature
- Coarse sugar (like sugar in the raw) for topping
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 TBSP White granulated sugar
- 1 tsp All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Milk
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare dry ingredients and pumpkin puree: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg. Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate and press a paper towel onto it about 4 times to absorb excess moisture, enhancing pumpkin flavor and batter consistency.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, blotted pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, sour cream, and buttermilk. Mix well until combined.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Preheat oven and prepare muffin pan: Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 6 muffin liners spaced apart to allow better heat circulation and taller muffins.
- Scoop muffin batter: Using a large cookie scoop, fill each liner generously with batter and sprinkle coarse sugar over the tops for a crunchy topping.
- Make cream cheese filling: In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, milk, and vanilla extract on high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Fill muffins with cream cheese: Transfer the cream cheese filling to a piping bag. Insert the tip about one-third down into the center of each muffin batter in the liners and squeeze to create a dollop of filling. Use all the filling evenly among the 12 muffins.
- Bake: Bake muffins at 425℉ for 8 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350℉ and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow muffins to sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes to settle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Muffins taste best when chilled in the refrigerator before serving.
Notes
- For best results, spoon and level the flour or weigh it to avoid compacted flour that can make muffins dry.
- At high altitudes, add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour to improve structure.
- Bring all dairy ingredients to room temperature 2 hours before baking for smoother batter and better rise.
- Blotting excess moisture from pumpkin puree intensifies flavor without thinning the batter.
- Spacing muffin liners apart helps heat circulate around each muffin for a taller rise.
- These muffins store best refrigerated and are delicious cold.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
