Description
These Best Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins combine the warm, cozy flavors of pumpkin spice with a luscious cream cheese swirl, creating moist, tender muffins perfect for autumn breakfasts or snacks. The creamy swirl adds a delightful tangy contrast to the spiced pumpkin base, baked to perfection with a tender crumb and beautiful marbling.
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
- Preparation: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and place paper baking cups into a muffin pan to prevent sticking and for easy removal later.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set this bowl aside as it will be incorporated later.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, vegetable oil (or melted butter), and vanilla extract until everything is well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture gently, stirring just until no lumps remain to avoid overdeveloping gluten which can make muffins tough.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full to allow room for rising.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Swirl: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth with no lumps. Add in granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated and creamy.
- Create Swirl: Add about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin batter. Use a toothpick or skewer to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture into the pumpkin batter, creating a marbled effect but do not overmix.
- Bake: Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin portion comes out clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely before storing.
Notes
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They are best served at room temperature or slightly chilled, so allow a few minutes to warm before eating.
- No Pumpkin Spice? You can make your own by combining 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, ½ tsp nutmeg, and ½ tsp allspice.
- Bake as a Loaf: To bake this as a pumpkin cream cheese bread loaf instead of muffins, follow the same recipe but bake in a loaf pan.
- Don’t Over-Mix: Gently combine wet and dry ingredients just until incorporated to keep muffins moist and tender. Over-stirring can cause gluten development making muffins dry.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 241
- Sugar: 21g
- Sodium: 176mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0.04g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 42mg
