Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

 These are our new favorite pumpkin muffin treats!  They're delicious with and without the cream filling.  Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

YIELD: 24 MUFFINS

 

MUFFINS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree (15-ounce can)

 

FILLING:  (sometimes I half this, see note)

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar

STREUSEL TOPPING:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 3 T all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the cream cheese filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix with a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until smooth.  Use a small cookie scoop (about a teaspoon in size) and portion out cream cheese dollops on a parchment-lined plate or tray and freeze that way.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners and spay lightly.

3. For the muffins, in a medium bowl, combine the flours, spices, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine; set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, sugar and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't overmix; a few lumps are okay).

4. For the streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix together with a handheld pastry blender until crumbly.

5. Fill each muffin cup 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese from the freezer. Place a dollop of cream cheese on top of the batter in each muffin well and press lightly into the batter (no need to aggressively shove to the bottom, just a light press).  (See note)

6. Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese filling the muffin tins about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

NOTES: 

Pumpkin Pie Spice substitute: if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use the following ratio: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Mix together and you have the equivalent of 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (so triple it for this recipe).

My boys prefer these without the cream cheese filling.  So I often half the cream cheese filling part and only put it in 12 out of the 24 muffins.