Yield: 18 standard muffins
Best Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
⭐️Test Kitchen Approved!⭐️These decadent swirled pumpkin cream cheese muffins are topped with sweet cream cheese that melts into the tops of the pumpkin muffins as they bake. Ready in just 30 minutes, this moist pumpkin muffin recipe will be a new family favorite!
Ingredients
Muffin:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil, or melted and cooled butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter. This will not look smooth, but it will bake up much prettier. You can see exactly how I did this in the video below. You can also just drop it by rounded spoonfuls to the centers of the muffin batter, swirling is optional!
- Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin part comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs stuck to it. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm or let cool completely to store.
Video
Notes
Storage: Store these pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I personally like these muffins best served at room temperature or slightly chilled, so I take them out of the fridge for a few minutes before serving to allow them to warm up.
No Pumpkin Spice? Make your own by combining 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice.
Bake A Loaf: If you would prefer to bake a loaf of bread instead of muffins, head over to my pumpkin cream cheese bread. It’s the same recipe, but baked into a loaf!
Don’t Over-Mix: Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients gently, just until combined. If you over stir the batter, it can overdevelop the gluten and cause dry muffins.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 muffin, Calories: 241kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 176mg, Potassium: 98mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 3888IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 1mg