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Creamy Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Swirl

Creamy Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Swirl - featured image
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These tender, moist pumpkin muffins are swirled with a tangy cream cheese ribbon and packed with warm cinnamon spice. They come together in about 35 minutes with simple pantry ingredients, making them perfect for cozy fall mornings, brunches, or lunchbox treats.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (245g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil (or canola/avocado oil)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) whole milk (or buttermilk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened (full-fat block style)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for cream cheese swirl)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for cream cheese swirl)
  • 1 teaspoon milk (if needed, for cream cheese swirl)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Make the cream cheese swirl: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and ½ teaspoon vanilla with a hand mixer until smooth (1-2 minutes). If too thick, add 1 teaspoon milk and beat again. Set aside.
  3. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ¾ cup sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt for about 20 seconds.
  4. Combine wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix; a few lumps are fine.
  6. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.
  7. Spoon cream cheese mixture into a small piping bag or zip-top bag. Snip a small corner (about ¼ inch). Pipe a thick swirl on top of each muffin (about 1-2 teaspoons per muffin). Use a toothpick to gently swirl the cream cheese into the batter in a figure-eight pattern (2-3 passes only).
  8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until edges are golden, tops spring back when pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do not overmix the batter; overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins tough. Make sure cream cheese is truly softened to room temperature to avoid lumps. For best texture, let muffins cool at least 10-15 minutes before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese swirl, cinnamon muffins, fall baking, easy muffin recipe, pumpkin cream cheese muffins

Find it online: https://merrymorsel.com/creamy-cinnamon-pumpkin-muffins-with-cream-cheese-swirl/