Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks-Inspired)

Soft pumpkin muffins flavored with warm spices and brown sugar, with a sweet vanilla cream cheese center. These homemade muffins are inspired by the coffee-shop favorite and make a delicious fall breakfast or afternoon treat.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword pumpkin cream cheese muffins

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 279kcal

Author Jesseca

Ingredients

Pumpkin Muffins

1¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned into the measuring cup and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1¼ cups plain pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling
2 large eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

6 ounces full-fat block cream cheese softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
Beat the softened cream cheese and ¼ cup granulated sugar until smooth. Mix in the flour, milk, and vanilla until combined. Transfer to a piping bag or zip-top bag and set aside while you prepare the batter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula just until no dry pockets of flour remain. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter among the prepared liners, filling each about three-quarters full before adding the filling. If your pan’s cups are smaller, use additional lined wells in a second pan rather than overfilling.
Snip the end of the piping bag or a corner of the zip-top bag. Insert the opening just beneath the surface of the batter in the center of each muffin. Squeeze gently while lifting upward, leaving a visible dollop on top. Divide all the filling evenly among the muffins; avoid piping it near the bottom.
Bake for approximately 18–25 minutes, beginning to check at 18 minutes. The muffin tops should feel set, and a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin portion, away from the cream cheese, should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs—not wet batter. The filling should look set rather than liquid.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Cool for at least 10 more minutes before serving; the filling will be hot straight from the oven.

Video

Notes

Use plain pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices.
Keep the piping opening near the top of the batter to create a visible cream cheese center.

Nutrition