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Moist Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins Easy Homemade Recipe with Streusel Topping

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These moist pumpkin muffins feature a tangy cream cheese swirl and a crumbly streusel topping, perfect for cozy fall mornings or holiday 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
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (240ml) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • Optional: ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
  2. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, mix ½ cup flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Add cold cubed butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or forks until coarse crumbs form. Stir in nuts if using. Chill in fridge.
  3. Prepare the cream cheese swirl: Beat softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar, egg yolk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large bowl.
  5. Combine wet ingredients: Whisk sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in pumpkin puree, vanilla, and buttermilk until smooth.
  6. Add wet ingredients to dry and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Batter will be thick and moist.
  7. Assemble muffins: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each muffin cup. Add a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on top. Add another 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter over cream cheese. Swirl gently with a skewer or butter knife to create a marbled effect.
  8. Sprinkle streusel topping generously over each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (avoid cream cheese area). Tops should be golden and spring back lightly.
  10. Cool muffins in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Chill the cream cheese mixture for 10 minutes before swirling to prevent sinking. Use cold butter for streusel and keep it chilled until baking. Avoid overmixing batter to keep muffins tender. Start checking muffins at 20 minutes to avoid drying out. Batter can be mixed the night before and baked fresh in the morning.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese swirl, streusel topping, fall recipe, easy muffins, breakfast muffins, moist pumpkin muffins

Find it online: https://chrisfeasts.com/moist-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-muffins-easy-homemade-recipe-with-streusel-topping/