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Ultimate Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – Easy Streusel Recipe

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These Ultimate Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins feature a soft, spiced pumpkin base, a tangy cream cheese center, and a crunchy streusel topping. Perfect for fall breakfasts, brunches, or any gathering, they come together in under an hour and are always a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (full-fat, softened)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for filling)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
  • Pinch of salt (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Make the cream cheese filling: In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar, 1 egg yolk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
  3. Make the streusel topping: In another small bowl, whisk together ½ cup flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Add cold butter cubes and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized chunks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt.
  5. Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (a few streaks of flour are okay).
  7. Fill the muffin cups: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners, filling each about halfway.
  8. Add the cream cheese filling: Drop a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each muffin.
  9. Top with remaining batter: Divide the remaining batter over the cream cheese filling, covering it completely. Smooth the tops gently.
  10. Add the streusel: Sprinkle the cold streusel generously over each muffin, pressing down lightly so it sticks.
  11. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean.
  12. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

For best results, keep streusel cold until baking. Let muffins cool completely before storing to maintain streusel crunch. Muffins taste even better the next day as flavors meld.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese muffins, streusel muffins, fall baking, pumpkin spice, easy muffin recipe

Find it online: https://cravemila.com/ultimate-pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-easy-streusel-recipe/