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Best Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins - featured image
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These copycat pumpkin cream cheese muffins are better than Starbucks—tender, spiced perfectly, with a dreamy cream cheese center and crunchy crumble topping. A must-bake for fall mornings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Make the cream cheese filling: In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, mix until combined. Cover and freeze for 20-25 minutes until firm.
  2. Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Add cold butter cubes. Use a pastry cutter or fingertips to work butter into flour mixture until coarse sand with pea-sized butter pieces remains. Refrigerate.
  3. Make the pumpkin muffin batter: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold gently until just combined (batter will be thick).
  4. Assemble the muffins: Remove cream cheese mixture from freezer. Scoop into 12 equal balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Fill each muffin liner halfway with batter. Place a cream cheese ball in the center, pressing down slightly. Top with remaining batter (cups should be about 3/4 full). Sprinkle chilled crumble topping over each muffin, pressing lightly.
  5. Bake: Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 15-18 minutes more, until a toothpick inserted into muffin (avoiding cream cheese center) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do not skip freezing the cream cheese filling—it prevents sinking. Use room temperature eggs. Do not overmix the batter. Let muffins cool completely before cutting to allow cream cheese to set. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. For dairy-free, use dairy-free cream cheese and plant-based butter.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin cream cheese muffins, copycat Starbucks muffins, fall baking, pumpkin muffins, cream cheese filled muffins

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