Ditch the coffee shop snacks in favor of this quick and easy recipe for Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins that swirls pumpkin batter and tangy cheesecake filling into every bite.
Cream cheese, you complete me. You steal the show in cheesecake. You beautify brownies. (Just look at that swirl.) You kick up coffee cake. You even managed to improve the best chocolate chip cookie recipe of all time. So it should come as no surprise that pumpkin + cream cheese = muffin perfection.
How to Make Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins
The setup on this one involves luxurious, thick swirls of cheesecake-like filling marbled with pumpkin muffin batter. I’ve made (and re-made) this recipe a hundred times, sometimes piping the cheesecake mixture into the centers of the muffins, other tips alternating scoops of the two batters and swirling them together.
There is no wrong way to marry pumpkin and cheesecake. These are very forgiving batters, so choose your preferred combination method and get ready for double the flavor.
Are These Muffins Like the Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins at Starbucks?
You better believe it! Not only are they like the coffee shop snack, they’re better than the coffee shop snack. With plenty of pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice, there’s no doubt this is the pumpkin muffin to end all pumpkin muffins. Add a tangy filling that’s quite reminiscent of cheesecake, and we have ourselves a winner.
Craving more pumpkin-inspired treats? Don’t miss Pumpkin Banana Bread, Pumpkin Spice Waffles and Pumpkin Cheesecake Pops.
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For the cream cheese filling:
Make the muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin pan with baking cups.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set the bowl aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the pumpkin and mix until combined.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and water to the bowl, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend the batter well, scraping down the sides as needed. Spoon a portion of the muffin batter into each cup filling it ¾ full.
Make the cream cheese filling:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla.
Alternately add dollops of the pumpkin batter and cream cheese filling into the muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Using a toothpick or sharp knife, swirl together the mixture.
Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
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