Description

Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins featuring a creamy full-fat cream cheese filling, a spiced pumpkin batter, and a crunchy pecan streusel topping. Perfectly moist and flavorful, these muffins bring a fall favorite to your breakfast or snack table with a delightful blend of textures and autumn spices.

Ingredients

Scale

Cream Cheese Filling

12 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Crumb Topping

2/3 cup raw pecan halves
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed (salted or unsalted)

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 15 oz. can Libby’s pure pumpkin puree (heaping 1 ¾ cup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Dry Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (324 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Garnish (Optional)

Coarse raw turbinado cane sugar
Ground cinnamon

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Instructions

Cream Cheese Filling: Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Whisk by hand or with a handheld mixer until smooth. Freeze the filling while preparing the rest of the recipe so it becomes slightly stiff but scoopable.
Streusel Crumb Topping: Pulse pecans three times in a food processor. Add flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon and pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle cold butter on top and pulse until the mixture resembles small pebbles. If needed, rub butter pieces between your fingers. Set topping aside in the freezer.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 22 muffin cups with liners and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk eggs gently. Add granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, and vegetable oil, mixing until combined.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ground ginger.
Combine Mixtures: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined to avoid overmixing.
Assemble Muffins: Spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each muffin liner and spread to cover the bottom. Add 1 rounded tablespoon of cream cheese filling on top of the batter. Cover filling with remaining batter evenly divided among muffin cups. Top each muffin with a heaping tablespoon of streusel crumb topping and gently pat it into the batter to help it adhere.
Bake Muffins: Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the top batter (not the cream cheese) comes out clean. Baking time may vary based on how chilled the cream cheese filling is.
Cool and Garnish: Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pans before transferring to a wire rack. Optionally, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and coarse raw turbinado sugar. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Reheat in microwave briefly if desired.

Notes

The cream cheese filling should be stiff but pliable for the best melting texture. Freeze for 20-30 minutes if making ahead.
Measure flour accurately by weighing or fluffing and spooning into the cup to avoid dense muffins.
If using pumpkin puree brand other than Libby’s, drain excess moisture to prevent dense muffins.
Baking times vary depending on cream cheese filling softness; check doneness by inserting a toothpick into top batter away from filling.
Store muffins in an airtight container refrigerated after 2 hours at room temperature. Use parchment between layers if stacking. Consume within 3-5 days for optimal flavor.
Rewarm muffins slightly before serving for a fresh soft texture.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 350 kcal
Sugar: 30 g
Sodium: 250 mg
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 38 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 70 mg