Easy recipe for copycat pumpkin cream cheese muffins that are even BETTER than Starbucks! Super soft, moist, brimming with pumpkin spice flavor, and filled with tangy-sweet cream cheese! (For anything with an asterisk * behind it, make sure to read the Notes below for additional info and tips.)
4ouncescream cheese*very well-softened to room temp
1tablespoongranulated sugar
1teaspoonall-purpose flour
1teaspoonmilk**
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Pumpkin Muffins:
1 ¼cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1teaspoonpumpkin pie spice***
½teaspoonground nutmeg
½teaspoonground allspice
½teaspoonground cloves
¼teaspoonfine sea salt
¾cupgranulated sugar
¼cuplight brown sugarpacked
¾cuppure pumpkin puree
⅓cupvegetable or canola oil
¼cupmilk
2tablespoonsmolasses
2 to 3teaspoonsvanilla extract
Toppings:
¼cuppumpkin seedsoptional; divided
1tablespooncoarse sugaroptional; divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling: To a small bowl, add all the ingredients, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary; set aside. Tip - Make sure the cream cheese is very well softened to room temp to make this much faster and easier.
Pumpkin muffins: To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice**, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and whisk together; set aside.
To a separate large bowl add the sugars, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, molasses, vanilla, and whisk until combined.
Pour the wet pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, add enough batter to each prepared cavity of the muffin pan, in between 2/3 and 3/4-full. Don't exceed 3/4 full or muffins could overflow while baking. Divide batter evenly among the 12 cavities.
Place the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag or into a plastic bag and snip the very end tip off.
Pipe the cream cheese mixture into the center of each of the uncooked muffins, making sure just a little bit of the cream cheese is poking through on top. You aren't adding too much, 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons approximately per muffin.
Optionally, evenly sprinkle around the center of each unbaked muffin with pumpkin seeds or coarse sugar like decorator’s sugar or Sugar In The Raw.
Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the tops are no longer wet looking and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin next to the cream cheese filling comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.****
Allow the muffins to cool in pans for about 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Cream cheese: If you want to keep the muffins vegan, use vegan cream chees such as Violife or Tofutti or similar. If using traditional cream cheese, use brick-style cream cheese like Philadelphia. **Milk: If you want to keep the muffins vegan, use a nondairy milk such as almond or cashew. If not, use regular cow's milk, whole or 2% is my preference.***Pumpkin pie spice: In place of using pumpkin pie spice PLUS all the other spices, if you don't have or keep them on hand, in lieu of buying them, I suggest using a total of 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (2 if you like things less bold) and omitting the other spices.****Bake time: Bake until the centers are set and springy to the touch. All ovens, pans, and climates vary so use my suggested baking time guidelines as only an estimate or a guideline. Start checking early in case your oven runs hot or your pan makes smaller muffins, or your oven runs colder, or your climate is more humid, etc. Bake longer, if needed or as needed, until they are done in your particular oven.Storage: Muffins will keep airtight for up to 1 week in the fridge or for up to 4 days at room temp. Read blog post for discussion on storing baked goods with cream cheese in the fridge vs. room temp. Do what you're comfortable with. I personally store them at room temp because the fridge tends to dry out baked goods and I don't like dry baked goods.Adapted from Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins, and Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins.