Pumpkin & Spice Cream Cheese Muffins
These are the perfect Thanksgiving snack everyone will enjoy! It's also a tasty way to use your leftover pumpkin pie filling and cream cheese...
Ingredients
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- 4 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
TOPPING • STREUSEL
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, such as demerara
- 3 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
BATTER
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 2 large free-run eggs
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin purée
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil tips & tricks
Directions
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese filling ingredients until smooth; set aside.
TOPPING • STREUSEL
- In medium bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly; set aside.
BATTER
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Grease or spray muffin pan or line with muffin liners; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla and oil.
- Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture; mix with a spatula until well mixed.
- Evenly divide half the batter among the muffin cups. Place 2 tsp. of cream cheese filling in the center; cover with the remaining batter.
- Sprinkle about 1 tbsp. streusel on top of each muffin.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let them cool 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack (*see footnote).
Notes
Footnote: If you want to freeze them, place the muffins in an airtight container. When it's time to eat, remove from the freezer and transfer them to a 350ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes to thaw.