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Cozy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel

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These tender pumpkin muffins feature a smooth cream cheese swirl and a crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel topping, perfect for cozy fall mornings or brunch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
  • ⅔ cup (135g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (75g) packed brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240ml) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup (50g) chopped pecans, toasted
  • ⅓ cup (65g) brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
  2. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fingers to mix until coarse crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Prepare the cream cheese swirl: Beat softened cream cheese with sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth and creamy (about 2-3 minutes).
  4. Mix dry ingredients for the muffin batter: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl.
  5. Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and buttermilk until smooth.
  6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients gently with a spatula until just combined; do not overmix.
  7. Fill muffin cups: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into each cup. Add about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese swirl on top. Use a skewer or knife to gently swirl the cream cheese through the batter.
  8. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of pecan streusel generously over each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (some cream cheese may stick). Rotate pan halfway if needed.
  10. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender. Use room temperature eggs and cream cheese for smooth blending. Toast pecans before adding for extra flavor. Chill cream cheese swirl if too soft to prevent sinking. Rotate pan halfway through baking for even cooking.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese swirl, pecan streusel, fall baking, easy muffins, homemade muffins, autumn recipe

Find it online: https://sunnysavory.com/cozy-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-muffins-easy-homemade-recipe-with-brown-sugar-pecan-streusel/