PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE SWIRL MUFFINS

Perfectly soft and moist, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins are topped with a luscious swirl of cheesecake.

Adding pumpkin to baked recipes makes them super moist. I just love that!

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE SWIRL MUFFINS

A few tips for successful muffins

• It’s really important to have the cream cheese at room temperature. Otherwise, it will not mix well.
• As well, I don’t recommend using low-fat or fat-free cream cheese. It doesn’t melt very well.
• Furthermore, have all your cold ingredients at room temperature.
• You’ll need pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Also, you can substitute sweet potatoes for the pumpkin. Cook, mash, and cool the sweet potatoes before you add them to the recipe.
• You can use either vegetable oil or melted butter in the muffin mix.
• If you want a more intense pumpkin flavor, substitute the cinnamon for an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.
• I used half a can of pumpkin puree because I didn’t want a large number of muffins. However, this recipe doubles easily if you don’t want to use half a can of pumpkin.
• If you choose to use half the can of pumpkin, as I did, what’s left you can make my over-the-top-good Pecan Pumpkin Cobbler!!
• You can add a few chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds to the top of the muffins after you swirl it for a little crunch.
• Finally, you can omit the cream cheese swirl for a wonderful plain pumpkin muffin.

HOW TO SWIRL

Maybe I’m over-explaining, but maybe this is someone’s first time to marble the top of a cake or muffin.

1. I used a 1/4 cup spring release scoop to scoop the exact amount of pumpkin for each muffin.
2. Next, I spooned 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter.
3. To swirl, you can use a toothpick, skewer, or knife.
4. I like to put my dollop of cream cheese in the center of the muffin.
5. Then, simply take your tool of choice and swirl through the cream cheese and pumpkin mixture. You can make figure 8’s, circles, or whatever pattern you want.
6. Really, the only thing to remember is ‘don’t swirl too much.’ You want to still see a definition between the cream cheese and pumpkin mixture.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

I prefer to eat the muffins warm, therefore, I just pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Tastes like freshly baked muffins!

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

Delicious slightly sweet pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese swirl. Great for breakfast, dessert, or snack.

Author: Paula

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 servings

Ingredients

MUFFINS

• 1 cup pumpkin puree about half a can
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
• ¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour sifted then measured
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

SWIRL

• 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray or fill with liners.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix pumpkin puree, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat egg with a fork then add the egg, oil, and vanilla to the pumpkin mixture.
• Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Mix until there are no lumps.
• Fill muffin tins ¾ full.
• In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. You can mix by hand or with an electric mixer.
• Add in sugar, egg yolk, and salt. Mix until well combined.
• Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Use a toothpick or fork to swirl it into the batter creating a marbling effect.
• Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked mine for 22 minutes, but it depends on how large your muffins are.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They'll be good for 3 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 4463IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

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More Pumpkin Recipes

You can find more recipes at my Recipe Index and at Meal Plan Monday