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Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Easy Recipe)

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These homemade pumpkin cream cheese muffins feature a moist, spiced crumb, a hidden ribbon of tangy cream cheese filling, and a buttery streusel topping. They’re quick, easy, and taste even better than the coffee shop version.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup (240g) pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
  • ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed (for streusel)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (56g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in cold cubed butter with a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces. Refrigerate until needed.
  3. Make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add ¼ cup powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla; beat until completely smooth. Set aside at room temperature.
  4. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until evenly distributed.
  5. Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and glossy.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix; batter should be thick and slightly lumpy.
  7. Layer the muffins: Add about 1 tablespoon of batter to the bottom of each liner. Drop about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling in the center of each. Top with another 1-2 tablespoons of batter, covering the filling completely. Liners should be about ¾ full.
  8. Add streusel: Sprinkle chilled streusel generously over each muffin, pressing gently into the batter.
  9. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not the cream cheese) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  10. Cool in the pan for exactly 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For best results, ensure cream cheese is at room temperature. Do not overmix batter. For a dairy-free version, use vegan cream cheese and substitute butter with coconut oil. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin cream cheese muffins, Starbucks copycat, fall baking, pumpkin muffins, cream cheese filled muffins, streusel topping, easy muffin recipe

Find it online: https://sweetstirring.com/better-than-starbucks-pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-easy-recipe/