Description
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a delightful Starbucks copycat recipe featuring moist pumpkin-spiced batter filled with a creamy vanilla-scented cream cheese center. Perfectly tender and topped with a swirl of cream cheese and optional pumpkin seeds, they make an irresistible fall breakfast or snack treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pumpkin Muffin Batter:
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) pure pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (125g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (3g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners to ensure easy removal and prevent sticking.
- Make Pumpkin Muffin Batter: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree with both the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add the eggs, sunflower oil, and vanilla extract, whisking again until fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, gently folding them in. Before fully incorporating, pour in the whole milk and continue folding until the batter is evenly combined. It’s fine if it’s slightly lumpy as long as there are no dry flour pockets.
- Rest the Batter: Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This helps improve texture and flavor absorption.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer or a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the milk and mix until the filling is creamy and well incorporated. Transfer the filling to a small piping bag or a zip-top plastic bag.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to the rim. Snip a small tip from your piping bag and insert it into the batter about ¼ inch deep, near the center. Squeeze about ½ tablespoon of cream cheese filling into each muffin, slowly pulling the tip up to create a small swirl at the surface about 1 inch in diameter. If you have any leftover batter, you may add a little more cream cheese filling inside the muffins as desired. Optionally, sprinkle chopped pumpkin seeds around the batter edge, pressing them lightly in.
- Bake Muffins: Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 12-15 minutes. The muffins are done when they feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the batter (avoiding the cream cheese swirl) comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove the muffin pan from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then take each muffin out to finish cooling completely on the wire rack.
Notes
- Resting the batter before baking helps hydrate the flour and results in a moister muffin.
- You can substitute pumpkin pie spice with a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves if desired.
- Ensure cream cheese is softened at room temperature to make the filling smooth and easy to pipe.
- Using parchment liners prevents sticking and makes cleanup easier.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute whole milk and cream cheese with non-dairy alternatives.
- Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
