These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are perfectly soft and moist—a better-than-Starbucks copycat recipe! The Fall pumpkiny flavors capture everything we love about pumpkin season with a creamy cheesecake center and a burst of flavor from a special blend of spices that took us, like, forever to perfect. They're the ultimate cozy treat for a crisp autumn day.
Ingredients
- 226 g (8 ounces) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature (68–72°F)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 ml (1 tsp) heavy cream or whole milk
- 66 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- 12 g (1 Tbsp) light brown sugar
- 6 g (2 tsp) all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 120 g (1 cup) cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- Small pinch (about an ⅛ tsp) ground black pepper
- 113 g (½ cup) salted butter, melted and cooled for 5-10 minutes
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 60 ml (¼ cup) sour cream, room temperature
- 280 g (about 1⅛ cups) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 g (1 Tbsp) turbinado sugar (or other coarse sugar)
- 20 g (about ⅛ cup) pumpkin seeds or pepitas (we use roasted salted pepitas)
Cream Cheese Filling
Pumpkin Muffins
Topping (optional)
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling
Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth, about 5-15 seconds.
Add the vanilla, heavy cream or milk, sugars, flour, and salt. Mix on low until just combined, about 5-10 seconds. Do not overmix.
Transfer the filling to a piping bag and set aside.
Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners (tulip-shaped preferred).
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined, about 30-45 seconds.
Add the eggs, sour cream, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined, about 30-60 seconds.
Gradually fold in the flour mixture in three parts, mixing gently with a spatula until just combined after each addition. Do not overmix.
Assembly
Fill each muffin liner about ⅔ full with batter using a 3-Tbsp cookie scoop.
Insert the piping bag about ¾ of the way into the batter of each muffin. Gently squeeze as you lift the bag straight up, then make a small swirl at the top as you stop squeezing. Clean the piping bag tip as needed to prevent batter from mixing with the filling.
Sprinkle turbinado sugar (if using) and pepitas evenly over each muffin, avoiding the cream cheese filling. Lightly press the seeds to ensure they adhere during baking.
Bake for 14-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs, or the muffins spring back lightly to the touch.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Servings: Makes about 12-14 muffins, depending on the size of the muffin cups (12 with tulip liners and about 14 with regular liners).
- Storage: Store muffins in a covered airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Muffins dry out a little faster each day.
- Spices: You can substitute the spices with 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice + 2 tsp cinnamon, but we recommend using the spices listed for the optimal flavor and best smelling house in the neighborhood.
- Mixer: You can also use a whisk in place of a mixer for the filling, it’ll just require some extra elbow grease.
- Pumpkin Puree: Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, as the latter contains added sugar and spices.
- PSL Season: Save any leftover pumpkin puree and add a spoonful to your morning coffee with some cinnamon and maple syrup for the coziest start to your day!
- Overmixing: Avoid overmixing both the cream cheese filling and muffin batter. Overmixing the cream cheese filling can cause cracks and sinking while baking, and create large air bubbles and a dense texture for the muffins.
Happy baking! ❤️
Emma & Eric
@birchberryco Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins 🧡🍃 For the full recipe 🍂 click recipes on our site Birchberryco.com (link in bio!) Let us know how it goes!! 🤍 #pumpkin #muffins #pumpkinseason #fall #autumn #baking #asmr #bakingrecipe #breakfast #brunch #dessert #aesthetic #cottagecore #baketok #bakingtiktok ♬ congratulations by mac miller - Hannah🎹
