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Perfect Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins - featured image
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These bakery-style pumpkin cream cheese muffins feature a tangy cream cheese center, crunchy streusel topping, and tender pumpkin-spiced crumb. They rival anything from the coffee shop and are perfect for fall gatherings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus ¼ cup cake flour, optional)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for filling)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for filling)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for filling)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 2 tablespoons maple sugar (optional, for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with ¼ cup granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon flour; beat until combined. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Prepare the streusel topping: In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in cold butter cubes until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter bits. Refrigerate.
  4. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus ¼ cup cake flour if using), 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
  5. Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.
  6. Fold wet into dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; batter should be thick and slightly lumpy.
  7. Fill muffin cups: Divide batter evenly among 12 liners, filling each about halfway.
  8. Add cream cheese filling: Remove filling from freezer, spoon into a piping bag or zip-top bag, snip corner, and pipe about 1-2 tablespoons into center of each muffin cup.
  9. Top with remaining batter: Divide remaining batter over filling, spreading gently to cover completely. Cups should be about ¾ full.
  10. Sprinkle with streusel: Generously top each muffin with chilled streusel, pressing lightly into batter.
  11. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) without opening door, and continue baking for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into muffin (avoid cream cheese center) comes out clean.
  12. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For best results, freeze cream cheese filling for 10-15 minutes to prevent sinking. Use room temperature ingredients. Do not overmix batter. Let muffins cool completely before storing to avoid soggy streusel.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese muffins, copycat Starbucks, fall baking, pumpkin spice

Find it online: https://lumalunch.com/perfect-copycat-starbucks-pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins/