Pumpkin Spiced Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

I’m one of those people who love pumpkin spice anything! When September hits, I pull out the pumpkin candles, wait impatiently for the pumpkin-spiced lattes and stock up on pumpkin puree so I can indulge in my own creations.

I found this fantastic pumpkin-spiced muffin with cream cheese filling recipe on the blog Two Peas & Their Pod and decided to give it a try! (If you love pumpkin, she has a whole post on her favorite pumpkin recipes.)

Pumpkin Spiced Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

6 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE MUFFINS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk or milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Drizzle milk until desired consistency is reached

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
First, make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Cut the butter into the mixture using your fingers until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Set aside.
Next, make the cream cheese filling. Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Place in the fridge while you make the muffins.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugars, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, and stir until just combined.
Fill each muffin cup with about 2 tablespoons of batter. Add a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese mixture to each muffin. Top the muffins evenly with the remaining batter, about 3/4 way full. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the tops.
Bake muffins for 23-26 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs. Let cool completely.
While the muffins are cooling, make the cream cheese glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth.
Drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the cooled muffins. Serve. (I used less drizzle as the muffins are quite sweet by themselves. I also used less streusel topping.)

Note-store the muffins covered on the counter for up to 2 days. You can store them in covered in the fridge too, just let them come to room temperature before eating.