Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with a sweet cheesecake center and topped with cinnamon streusel. These pumpkin cream cheese streusel muffins will be one of the best pumpkin muffins you ever make.
PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE STREUSEL MUFFIN RECIPE
This recipe was posted over two years ago and it continues to be so popular every Fall. I figured it was about time to update it with new pictures, tips, and helpful hints. Enjoy friends and thank YOU so much for visiting.
I’m officially addicted to all thing Fall & Pumpkin Spice!! I went grocery shopping the other day and could not pass by anything labeled ‘pumpkin spice’ and not put it in my cart; I have no self-control when it comes to the pumpkin spice stuff.
There a few extra steps with these muffins; the cinnamon streusel, the cream cheese center, and of course the pumpkin muffins. They’re not easy mix and dump type muffins, but trust me, these muffins will be worth the extra steps.
The pumpkin muffin is so soft and full of pumpkin flavor and warm pumpkin spices. The inside is a creamy and sweet cheesecake mixture, and the tops are sprinkled with an easy cinnamon streusel. There is NO way I can ever eat just one!
How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins
First you want to make the cream cheese center as it has to sit in the freezer while you make the muffins and streusel. It’s a simple mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar. Be sure your cream cheese is softened so there are no lumps in it when you blend it with the sugar.
Put that in the fridge and start on your pumpkin muffins.
Combine all your dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir with a wire whisk. And yes, it is 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice + the other spices. Trust me. It’s delicious.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, or use a handheld beater in a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and pure pumpkin. Once that is smooth and combined, add the dry ingredients and mix just until there are no flour streaks or pockets remaining.
Fill each muffin cup 1/3 full and then place a dollop of cream cheese on top. Cover the cream cheese with some more pumpkin muffin batter (see above picture for how to). Each muffin cup will be nearly to the top. It should not be overflowing, just slightly below the tops of the muffin liners.
Prepare the streusel. It’s easiest to use your clean hands to mix it. Sprinkle that on top of each muffin and bake!
These muffins bake up so nicely in the oven with a nice rounded top. I am betting that they would also be really good without the streusel topping, if you are short on time or whatever. But, you should probably just make the streusel cause it’s to die for.
The recipe calls for 2 cups of pure pumpkin NOT the pumpkin pie filling. You just want the 100% pure pumpkin. I always buy the Libby’s brand. One 15 oz can will not be enough so you will have to break out the larger can. With the pumpkin leftovers make these honey wheat pumpkin muffins. Don’t be fooled by the title, they are surprisingly so good and easily one of my favorite versions of a pumpkin muffin.
I had to send these in with my husband to work because like I mentioned earlier, I have zero self-control when it comes to pumpkin.
More pumpkin recipe have already been requested by his office so I’ll be busy. People who love pumpkin treats as much as me are my favorite kinds of people 🙂
Tips for making Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins
- Just mix the muffin batter until no flour pockets or streaks remain. You want to make sure it’s mixed but take care not to over mix as that can sometimes result in more dense muffins. But, with all the pumpkin & oil and goodness in these, you’ll probably be fine.
- Be sure to make the cream cheese filling first. It does need to sit in the freezer to get cold as you prepare the muffins. I’ll admit, I forgot to make it first one time and just made it right before I added it to the muffins, and it was fine. It spreads slightly more if it’s not cold, but nothing that makes the muffins not turn out.
- I would highly recommend using regular, full-fat cream cheese. The 1/3 less fat and fat free stuff is more watery which tends to make the cream cheese center not as thick and delicious.
- I have never tried making these muffins with whole wheat flour and I would not recommend it. Whole wheat flour lends to a more dense tasting muffin, almost dry like, so I would stick with the all-purpose flour.
- I like to lightly spray the lined muffin cups before adding the batter, just to make sure that there is no sticking.
- I’ve never tried freezing these muffins so I can’t say for sure if you can freeze them. I would imagine they would freeze just fine, so it’s worth a try.
- Store these muffins covered in the fridge. Or if you’re like my house, they’ll be gone in no time and you won’t have to worry about storing them 🙂
Try these other family favorite Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie Pecan Cobbler
- Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars
- Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins
Pumpkin muffins with a sweet cheesecake center and topped with cinnamon streusel. These pumpkin cream cheese streusel muffins will be one of the best pumpkin muffins you ever make.
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Pumpkin Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups pure pumpkin (from a 28 oz can)
- 1 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed small
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.
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Make the cream cheese filling. Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended in a small bowl. Put it in the freezer to chill while you prepare the muffins.
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Make the pumpkin muffins. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In a large bowl with handheld beater, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
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Fill each muffin cup 1/3 full of pumpkin muffin batter. Top with a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Fill the remaining of the muffin cup with more pumpkin batter. It should be almost to the top. Make sure that the muffin batter on top covers the cream cheese center.
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Make the cinnamon streusel. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cold cubed butter in a small bowl. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to mix together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle some on top of each muffin.
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Bake 20-25 minutes or until the muffins have formed a nice peak and spring back when touched lightly. Remove and let cool before serving or eat one warm.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
A small 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin will not be enough for 2 cups of pumpkin called for in the recipe. You will need to buy the larger 28-ounce can of pure pumpkin and measure out 2 cups.
To soften the cream cheese, unwrap it and put it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 25-30 seconds. This will help eliminate lumps in the cream cheese mixture.
This recipe was originally published September 2016. It has been republished and updated September 2018.
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