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–+ servings
muffins with seeds and cream cheese in the center
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4.89 from 18 votes

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe with a cheesecake filling! These easy muffins are a Starbucks Copycat and are the perfect easy breakfast or brunch muffin recipe for fall!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 muffins
Author: Dorothy Kern
Cost: $8

Ingredients

For the Muffin

  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup (59ml) milk
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour

For the Cream Cheese Filling

  • 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pumpkin Seeds optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with liners.
  • Stir pumpkin, oil, and sugar together in a large bowl. Do this by hand - don’t use a mixer. Stir in eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Stir in 1 cup flour, then stir in milk, then stir in remaining 1 cup flour.
  • Divide evenly among muffin pans, filling each liner 1/2 full. Make a small indentation in the top of the muffin with the back of a spoon, a little holder for the cream cheese filling.
  • Stir together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
  • Drop 1 tablespoon onto the top of each muffin. Use the back of a spoon to spread the cheesecake mixture into the little indentation you made and adhere it to the muffin batter. Sprinkle with 4-5 pumpkin seeds, optional.
  • Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the muffin part comes out with just a few crumbs stuck too it.
  • Cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator. Muffins can be frozen for quick breakfasts!

Video

Notes

  • You can keep them in the refrigerator, too, but they will keep for a long time in the freezer. It’s such a treat to pull one out and warm it in the microwave for a sweet afternoon snack. 
  • It might be tempting to use a hand mixer for this recipe but I don’t recommend it. For really tender muffins it’s best to mix it by hand just until the dry ingredients are absorbed into the wet ingredients. With a mixer you risk overmixing the batter. 
  • Make sure your cream cheese is softened to avoid lumps!

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 2319IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

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