Description
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a moist, flavorful fall treat combining the warmth of pumpkin spice with a creamy swirl of lightened cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast or a snack, they feature a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, simple pantry ingredients, and a quick baking method that yields tender, delicious muffins.
Ingredients
Scale
Muffin Batter Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (King Arthur)
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
- 3/4 cup raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- baking spray
Cream Cheese Swirl
- 5 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Muffin Tin: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners and lightly spray the liners with baking spray to ensure easy removal of the muffins.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, raw sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the canned pumpkin puree, coconut oil, whole egg, and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture at medium speed until thick and well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate Dry into Wet: Add the dry flour mixture to the wet pumpkin mixture. Blend at low speed until just combined, taking care not to overmix to keep the muffins tender.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Swirl: In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add and beat in the raw sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until the mixture is well combined and creamy.
- Fill Muffin Cups and Add Swirl: Spoon the pumpkin batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto the top of each muffin batter. Using a toothpick, gently swirl the cream cheese from the edge toward the center to create a marbled effect.
- Bake: Place the muffin tin on the center rack of the oven and bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool before serving to let the texture set and flavors meld.
Notes
- Sugar: You can substitute raw sugar with granulated or brown sugar based on preference.
- Flour: Use all white whole wheat or exclusively all-purpose flour if you don’t have both on hand.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use a gluten-free flour blend such as Cup4Cup for a gluten-free version; results may vary.
- Spices: If pumpkin pie spice is unavailable, combine cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice as a substitute.
- Nuts: Adding chopped walnuts or pecans would add a pleasant crunch.
- Oil: Coconut oil can be swapped with other oils you have available, like vegetable or canola oil.
- Variations: To make pumpkin bread, bake the batter in a loaf pan at 350°F (177°C) for about 50 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick.
- Mini Muffins: Use a mini muffin tin, top with one teaspoon of cream cheese mixture, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 170 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 160 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 34 mg
