Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Rich, moist pumpkin muffins are filled with a cheesecake mixture and topped with pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds. Forget Starbucks Muffins, these Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins are the only pumpkin muffin you will need this fall! 

I am that basic girl in the autumn. I love pumpkin everything, from pumpkin candles to pumpkin lattes and of course pumpkin muffins!  I want to wear flannels, boots, sweaters and of course a dark rich lipstick, currently loving Nars Audacious Lipstick in Fanny. The problem is here in Southern California we are STILL experiencing "summer" like weather, I am talking 95 degrees. It's just dreadful!

So as a hot pumpkin latte is delicious, I can't handle hot drinks right now. And I cannot get away with boots or sweaters unless I want to sweat profusely (it's not a good look).

So, I burn my pumpkin candles and bake with pumpkin. As, my friend Michele would put it, Bikram Baking.

If you've been on my site before you know I am obsessed with cheesecake. While I don't mind having a slice of cheesecake for breakfast, I'm a rebel like that, I know it's not a traditional breakfast food. But you know what is? A Muffin! So naturally, I baked cheesecake mixture right into the muffin. So sneaky!

This recipe is quick and easy. The only "hard" part is making sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. And to be honest, sometimes mine isn't but since we are baking the cheesecake into the muffin it doesn't really matter if it's not completely smooth.

I usually cut my cream cheese into small chunks so it gets to room temp. quicker.

I am not gonna lie, these muffins disappeared! Too quickly for my liking. My friends, family, and co-workers all enjoyed these muffins!

Let's get to the recipe.

Jump to:

• What are the ingredients for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• How do you make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Can you freeze these muffins
• Recipe Card
• Love Pumpkin? 
• Recipe Ratings & Comments

What are the ingredients for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

For the pumpkin muffin batter you'll need:

• All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Salt
• Brown Sugar
• Granulated Sugar
• Pumpkin Puree
• Large Eggs, at room temperature
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Vegetable Oil

For the cream cheese cheesecake filling you'll need:

• Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Large Egg, at room temperature
• Granulated Sugar

Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different as to what someone else scoops!

How do you make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Start by preheating the oven to 400F/204C and grease a regular-sized muffin pan and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the sugars, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla extract and vegetable oil.

Mix until fully combined.

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Mix just until most of the flour streaks are gone.

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Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin pan, making sure to fill 3/4 of the way.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar.

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Once fully combined whisk in the egg and beat until smooth and fully combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the cheesecake batter into a piping bag or into a ziplock bag and snip the corner off.

Stick the tip of the piping bag into the center of the muffin and squeeze for a few seconds. 

This is optional but I love the pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds at Trader Joe's so I top my muffins with a few before baking.

The pumpkin seeds are optional but I think necessary. The added texture they give is amazing. You could use plain pumpkin seeds but I picked up some from Trader Joe's, pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds... let me tell you they are ADDICTING!!!

I also spread the muffins out and bake them in more batches, this helps increase the airflow between each muffin and helps them raise taller and have a more even bake.

You could make mini muffins too if you want!

Bake the full-sized muffins at 400F/204C for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 350F/180C and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes, or until when you gently touch the center of the muffin it bounces back quickly, or a toothpick inserted in comes out with no wet batter.

Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before taking out of the pan.

Store the baked muffins in an air-tight container for up to 4 days, I prefer to store them in the fridge after the first day, due to the cream cheese. 

For another delicious pumpkin muffin recipe check out my Nutella swirled pumpkin muffins.

Can you freeze these muffins

Yes, you can totally freeze pumpkin muffins.

To freeze the muffins make sure the muffins have cooled completely, then layer them in a single even layer not touching in a freezer bag laid flat in the freezer, or on a plate to just freeze for the first 2 hours.

After that, you can pile them into a freezer-safe container, doing the freezing where they are not touching at first ensures that later on, you can just take one muffin out at a time, so they aren't stuck together.

To thaw the muffins let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour or pop in the oven at 300F for 5-8 minutes.

More Muffin Recipes? 

• Strawberry Blueberry Muffins
• Oat Flour Banana Muffins
• Nutella Banana Muffins
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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