Description
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins combine the rich cream cheese filling with moist pumpkin batter and a crunchy pecan streusel topping. These delightful muffins offer a perfect balance of sweet and spice, making them ideal for fall breakfasts, snacks, or dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Filling
- 12 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel Crumb Topping
- 2/3 cup raw pecan halves
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed (salted or unsalted)
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 15 oz. can Libby’s pure pumpkin puree (heaping 1 ¾ cup)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (324 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Garnish (Optional)
- Coarse raw turbinado cane sugar
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream Cheese Filling: Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Whisk by hand or with a handheld mixer until smooth and creamy. Freeze the filling while preparing the rest of the recipe to achieve a slightly stiff but scoopable consistency.
- Streusel Crumb Topping: Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse three times. Add flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon, then pulse a few more times until combined. Sprinkle cold cubed butter over the mixture and pulse until it resembles small pebbles. If necessary, rub any stubborn butter pieces between your fingers to incorporate fully. Set aside in the freezer.
- Prepare Oven and Tins: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 22 muffin cups across two tins with liners and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs gently. Add granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, and vegetable oil; mix until combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir to blend evenly.
- Combine Mixtures: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep muffins tender.
- Assemble Muffins: Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pumpkin batter into each lined muffin cup and spread to cover the bottom. Add 1 rounded tablespoon of cream cheese filling on top of the batter in each cup. Cover cream cheese with remaining pumpkin batter divided evenly among cups. Top each muffin with approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of streusel crumb topping and gently pat it into the batter to help it adhere during baking.
- Bake Muffins: Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the top batter (avoiding cream cheese) comes out clean. Baking time may vary based on how chilled the cream cheese filling is.
- Cool and Garnish: Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and coarse raw cane sugar if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature, warming briefly in the microwave for softness.
Notes
- The cream cheese filling should be stiff yet pliable; if prepping ahead, freeze for 20-30 minutes to achieve the right consistency.
- Measure flour correctly by weighing or fluffing and spooning into measuring cups to avoid dense muffins.
- If using pumpkin puree other than Libby’s, drain excess moisture to prevent soggy batter.
- Baking time varies with cream cheese filling temperature; insert toothpick carefully avoiding cream cheese to check doneness.
- Store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator after 2 hours at room temperature, with parchment or wax paper between layers. Consume within 3-5 days for best freshness.
- Warm muffins slightly before serving for best texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
