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Cozy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins with Brown Sugar Streusel

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These tender pumpkin muffins feature a creamy, tangy cream cheese swirl and a crunchy brown sugar streusel topping, perfect for quick, comforting fall treats.

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 (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (240ml) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh cooked)
  • ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk (or whole milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces (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)
  • ⅓ cup (70g) packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons or 57g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • Pinch of salt (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease with butter or non-stick spray.
  2. Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Add cold cubed butter and mix with a fork or pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.
  3. Make the cream cheese swirl: Beat softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; mix until creamy. Set aside.
  4. Prepare muffin batter: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In another bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
  5. Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined; a few lumps are okay. Avoid overmixing.
  6. Fill muffin cups: Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter into each cup. Add about 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture on top, then fill with more batter until cups are about ⅔ full. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the cream cheese through the batter.
  7. Sprinkle a generous amount of streusel topping over each muffin.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Use room temperature eggs and cream cheese for smooth mixing. Avoid overmixing batter to keep muffins tender. Keep butter cold for crumbly streusel. Check muffins at 18 minutes if oven runs hot to prevent dryness. Swirl cream cheese gently to maintain marbled look.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese swirl, brown sugar streusel, fall baking, quick muffins, cozy recipe

Find it online: https://coracooks.com/cozy-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-muffins-easy-homemade-recipe-with-brown-sugar-streusel/