Print

Cozy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins - featured image
Print Recipe

Moist and tender pumpkin muffins with a tangy cream cheese swirl and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping, perfect for cozy fall mornings or brunches.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (240ml) canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (65g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (for streusel)
  • 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Position a rack in the center. Grease your muffin tin or line with muffin cups.
  2. Prepare the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate while preparing batter.
  3. Mix dry ingredients for muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
  4. Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in pumpkin purée, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  5. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture gently with a spatula until just combined. Batter should be thick but pourable. Avoid overmixing.
  6. Prepare cream cheese swirl: Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
  7. Assemble muffins: Spoon half of pumpkin batter evenly into muffin cups (~2 tablespoons each). Dollop about 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture on top of each. Cover with remaining pumpkin batter. Swirl cream cheese gently with a butter knife or skewer to create marbled effect.
  8. Top each muffin with cinnamon streusel, pressing lightly to help it stick.
  9. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs and streusel is golden and crisp.
  10. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender. Use softened but not melted cream cheese for smooth swirl. Keep butter cold for streusel to create crumbly texture. Use room temperature eggs for better rise. Tent muffins with foil if streusel darkens too quickly. Streusel can be skipped or replaced with glaze for variation.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese swirl, cinnamon streusel, fall baking, cozy muffins, pumpkin recipe, easy muffins

Find it online: https://platebelle.com/cozy-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-muffins-easy-homemade-cinnamon-streusel-recipe/