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Cozy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins with Streusel Topping

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These cozy pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins with a buttery streusel topping are a perfect fall treat, combining warm spices, a creamy center, and a crunchy topping for a delightful breakfast or snack.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour (or almond flour for gluten-free)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (240ml) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (110g) brown sugar, packed (light brown preferred)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (60ml) buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1 large egg yolk (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for cream cheese swirl)
  • ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ⅓ cup (65g) brown sugar, packed (for streusel)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed (for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease it.
  2. Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Add cold, cubed butter and work it into the dry ingredients with fingers or a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Chill in fridge.
  3. Prepare the cream cheese swirl: Beat softened cream cheese with ¼ cup sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, mix until just combined. Avoid overbeating.
  4. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
  5. Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until smooth.
  6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients gently with a rubber spatula until just combined; batter should be thick and slightly lumpy.
  7. Fill muffin cups: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into each cup. Add about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling on top, then cover with another 2 tablespoons of batter.
  8. Create swirl: Use a skewer or toothpick to gently swirl the cream cheese and batter for a marbled effect.
  9. Sprinkle chilled streusel topping generously over each muffin, pressing lightly to adhere.
  10. Bake for 22–25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the muffin (avoiding cream cheese) comes out clean and tops are golden with crunchy streusel.
  11. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Soften cream cheese to room temperature but not melted to prevent oozing during baking. Use a light hand when folding batter to avoid dense muffins. Keep butter cold for a crumbly streusel topping. Bake on middle rack for even heat. Tent muffins with foil after 15 minutes if oven runs hot to prevent streusel burning. Muffins can be stored at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for 3 months.

Nutrition

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

Find it online: https://shimmersnack.com/cozy-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-muffins-easy-homemade-streusel-recipe/