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These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are tender and moist, filled with sweetened cream cheese and topped with a sugar and spice crumble that is absolutely heavenly. It's beyond awesome.
One of the things I love about being an American living abroad is introducing my British friends to American flavors. I regularly get to blow people's minds and send them into fits of ecstasy with the simplest things. At least, back home they would be relatively common place. British baking is somewhat austere compared to the ridiculous indulgences of some American treats, and I don't hold back.
My friends here especially love pumpkin. It's practically impossible to find canned pumpkin in a supermarket here (I order mine on Amazon). Whenever I show up with something pumpkin-flavored, though, they absolutely love it. It makes my Leo moon deeply satisfied to get to make other people so happy with something that I've baked for them. It's a win-win, really.
What makes these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins so awesome?
Now these muffins right here recently got rave reviews from my co-working pals. The pumpkin puree makes them super moist, all prosperity spices gives them a deep flavor, and there's little surprises in every bite. Hiding inside each muffin is a bit of sweetened cream cheese that adds a creamy element. There's also a sugar and spice crumb topping that goes really crunchy on top, so each bite has a contrast in texture and a burst of flavor.
These are the perfect muffin for autumn. Yes, they have a few extra steps, so maybe you want to save them for something a little bit special, but I promise they're worth it. Nothing is difficult. It just takes time. I assure you, everyone will absolutely love them, though. So maybe make up a batch for an autumn picnic or as a treat after visiting the local harvest festival, hayride, or pumpkin patch. Get all the good fall vibes going.
Magical Properties of Pumpkin
Pumpkins are closely tied to Halloween, which means it's only one small leap to witchcraft. A Jack-O-Lantern is actually a protection spell to ward off spirits when the veil is thin around Samhain. Pumpkins are also jam-packed with seeds, making them great for abundance magic. They last a long time as well, so use them in a spell where you want the energy to stick around for a while.
Learn more about the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe on my Kitchen Magick page.
Ingrediens
Here's everything you'll need to make these muffins. All the details are in the recipe card below.
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar - aka icing sugar or confectioner's sugar
- Flour - all-purpose or plain
- Spices - we're talking cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, or use a pumpkin spice mix if you have it
- Salt
- Baking soda - aka bicarb
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Vegetable oil - any neutral flavored oil
- Butter - cold
Tips for making Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
These muffins are really easy, but they do require a bit of planning. The first thing you'll want to do is mix together your cream cheese and powdered sugar. Then you're gonna wrap that in some plastic wrap in a log shape, and put it in the freezer for at least two hours. This will keep it from just melting into your muffins. You could do this the day before if you wanted.
The muffins batter is a simple affair. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then bring them together to combine quickly and gently. Then you'll fill your muffin cups about half way. Cut your log of frozen cream cheese (don't worry, it will still be soft enough) into 12 pieces, and drop one into each muffin cup. Then add the remaining muffin batter to cover up the cream cheese.
The last stage is to mix the crumble topping. Simply add all the ingredients to the bowl and use your fingers to smash all the dry ingredients into the butter. Then spoon some of the crumble mixture over each muffin, and bake.
If you're ready to have your pretty little mind blown, it's time to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. They're freakin' awesome.
Looking for more awesome muffin recipes? Try these Caramel Butterscotch Muffins or some cinnamony French Toast Muffins.
PrintPumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
These Pumpkn Cream Cheese Muffins are tender and moist, filled with sweetened cream cheese and topped with a sugar and spice crumble that is absolutely heavenly. It's beyond awesome.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 180
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
For the muffins
- ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 150 ml vegetable oil
For the topping
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2-½ tablespoons flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, in chunks
Instructions
For the filling
- Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar in whatever way you want until smooth. I used an electric hand mixer to bring it together quickly.
- Pour your cream cheese mixture onto some plastic wrap and carefully mold it into a cylinder about an inch and a half in diameter. Carefully wrap up your cream cheese log in the plastic plus a layer of foil. Stash this in the freezer for about two hours.
For the muffins
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and line your muffin cups with your favorite paper.
- In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Give it a whisk to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until fully combined. Turn your mixer down to low, and slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
For the topping
- Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl by squishing it all together with a pastry cutter, fork, or clean fingers. You want a rough, oatmeal like texture. Stash it in the fridge until you're ready for it.
- To assemble your muffins, start by adding about a tablespoon of muffin batter to the bottom of each muffin cup. Spread it a bit to make sure that the bottom of each cup is completely covered.
- Next, take your cream cheese log out of the freezer and cut it into 12 even discs. Place on cold cream cheese disc into each muffin cup.
- Evenly divide the remaining batter between the 12 cups. Try to completely cover the cream cheese if you can.
- Finally, evenly distribute your topping over each muffin. It might seem like too much topping. Trust me, it's not.
- Pop your muffins into the oven for about 25 minutes. Give them a little more time than you normally would because you've put something frozen in the center. It's tricky to test them because of the filling. Use your baking instincts. 25 minutes was perfect for me.
- Allow the muffins to cool a little bit longer than you might normally so that you don't burn your face off on molten cream cheese. Because of the pumpkin, these stay moist for days.
Keywords: Pumpkin, Muffins
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Laura Maginess says
That muffin... insanely good thanks so much for this Renee
★★★★★
Renee says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Susan Perry says
Wowzers! These muffins are exceptional!! I cannot explain how good these are, you need to make them, eat them and tell everyone! Thanks Renee, blooming delicious xx
★★★★★
Renee says
I hope it made you feel awesome.
Suzanne says
So tasty, thank you so much - definitely going to give them a go myself ❤️
★★★★★
Renee says
I'm so glaed you liked them!