Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Easy)
Enjoy the taste of fall with these moist and flavorful pumpkin cream cheese muffins, inspired by Starbucks. This easy recipe brings bakery-worthy treats to your kitchen, combining spiced pumpkin muffins with a creamy, tangy cream cheese filling.
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Paper liners (optional)
- Medium bowl
- Large bowl
- Hand mixer or whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Wire rack
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Coarse sugar or cinnamon sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer or whisk.
- Add the egg yolk and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture and beat until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, eggs, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! A few lumps are okay.
- Fill each muffin liner about halfway full with pumpkin muffin batter.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling onto the center of each muffin.
- Top with the remaining pumpkin muffin batter, filling each liner about ¾ full.
- If desired, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with coarse sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For best results, use room temperature ingredients. Avoid overmixing the batter to prevent tough muffins. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. To freeze, wrap individually in plastic wrap before placing in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving. For added flavor, consider adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the muffin batter. You can also create a cream cheese swirl by dolloping spoonfuls of filling on top of the batter and swirling it in with a knife or toothpick.