These muffins are loaded with your favorite fall spices and flavors. Serve them at your holiday gathering or make a batch for an on-the-go breakfast with your morning latte. These Pumpkin cream cheese Swirl muffins will be your favorite pumpkin muffins ever.
You start with a super moist spiced pumpkin muffin and top it with swirls of sweet cream cheese that melt into the top as it bakes. Put a generous dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of the batter. For the topping, you are supposed to cut in the butter with a pastry blender.
Instructions;
- 8 oz . cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1¼ cups vegetable oil
For the topping: - ½ cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Instructions;
- To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil.
- Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours. The mixture will still be somewhat soft but firmer.
- To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda; whisk to blend.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
- To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
- Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- I always get inpatient here and mix it together with my hands so that it looks like the texture of wet sand. I know you aren’t supposed to do it this way but I’m impatient. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
- To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner.
- Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well.
- You want to put the cream cheese lower than you think because it will rise a lot during the baking process.
- Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. I like them warm, cold, and room temperature.
