Description
These Best Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins combine moist pumpkin spice batter with a luscious cream cheese swirl, creating a perfect fall treat that is both visually stunning and deliciously flavorful. Ideal for breakfast or a snack, these muffins are easy to make and yield tender, flavorful bites bursting with seasonal spices.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Muffin
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, or melted and cooled butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and place paper baking cups into a muffin pan; set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt until well combined to ensure even spice distribution.
- Combine wet ingredients and sugars: In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin puree with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, vegetable oil (or melted butter), and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add dry mix to wet mix: Slowly whisk the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined and no lumps remain, taking care not to overmix to avoid tough muffins.
- Fill muffin tins: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full to allow room for rising.
- Prepare cream cheese swirl: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, then beat again until fully combined and creamy.
- Swirl cream cheese topping: Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the cream cheese into the pumpkin batter, creating a marbled effect. Note that the mixture will not look perfectly smooth but will bake beautifully.
- Bake the muffins: Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin portion comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool and serve: Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving warm, or cool completely before storing.
Notes
- Storage: Keep muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They taste best served at room temperature or slightly chilled; allow a few minutes out of the fridge before serving.
- No Pumpkin Spice? Substitute with homemade mix: 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, ½ tsp nutmeg, and ½ tsp allspice.
- Bake A Loaf Option: To make a pumpkin cream cheese bread loaf, use the same batter and bake as directed in a loaf pan.
- Don’t Over-Mix: Stir gently when combining dry and wet ingredients to avoid developing gluten and producing dry muffins.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 241 kcal
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 176 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.04 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
