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Best Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

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These copycat pumpkin cream cheese muffins have a tall, bakery-style dome, a sweet-tangy cream cheese center, and a crunchy crumb topping. They taste better than the original, with less sugar, real pumpkin, and no preservatives.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup (240g) pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 oz (170g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • ⅓ cup (40g) all-purpose flour (for topping)
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar (for topping)
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar (for topping)
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (for topping)

Instructions

  1. Prep the cream cheese filling first. In a small bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until completely smooth. Line a small baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. Drop the cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls onto the parchment — you should get about 12 equal portions. Freeze these for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line your muffin tin with paper liners.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
  5. Combine wet and dry. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold together gently until no more streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
  6. Make the crumb topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture forms clumps. Set aside.
  7. Fill the muffin cups. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin liner. Place one frozen cream cheese disk in the center of each cup. Top with the remaining batter, dividing evenly. Each cup should be about ¾ full. Sprinkle the crumb topping generously over each muffin, pressing lightly into the batter.
  8. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15-18 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool properly. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Freeze the cream cheese filling disks for at least 20 minutes to prevent sinking. Do not overmix the batter. Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Let muffins cool completely before storing to keep the crumb topping crunchy.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin cream cheese muffins, copycat Starbucks muffins, fall baking, pumpkin muffins, cream cheese filled muffins

Find it online: https://lindabake.com/best-copycat-pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-recipe/