Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks Copycat)

I love cooking and baking with seasonal ingredients, and I have an especially soft spot for pumpkin during the fall.

These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a copycat recipe of the ones commonly sold at Starbucks during the autumn. They’re soft, moist, and spiced just right. One bite into them, and you’re instantly in a fall-state-of-mind 😉

And honestly, the best part about this recipe is that we can enjoy these treats from the comfort of our own homes. We no longer have to depend on corporations with murky business practises to get our caffeine and treat-fixes. We can savor our drinks and treats knowing full well that they were made and consumed ethically, and that our hard earned money did not go towards the support of a brutal genocide of an indigenous people.

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks Copycat)

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Baking, Cream Cheese, Dessert, Filling, Pumpkin, Seasonal, Snacks, Spices

Servings 12 Servings

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Filling

• 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup neutral flavored oil
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup pepitas, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and set aside a greased muffin tin (or line with cupcake liners).

2. In a small bowl, whisk together cream cheese filling ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Gently add prepared flour mixture, and fold until no lumps remain.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared cupcake pan, filling to the rim. Pipe the cream cheese mixture into each muffin (the piping bag only needs to be inserted about ¼-inch deep), pulling up slowly so that the filling pours out the top and is visible on the surface of the muffin. Top each muffin with pepitas, if using.
6. Bake until an inserted toothpick near the center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.