Delicious Homemade Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins!

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• 4 ounces (120 g) cream cheese softened
• 1/4 vanilla bean split & scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract)
• 1 cup (120 g) confectioners' sugar

For the Pumpkin Muffins

• 12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup (220 g) light or dark brown sugar packed
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) real vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup (244 g) pure pumpkin puree not pie filling; 100% pumpkin
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 3/4 cups (371 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112 g) whole milk room temperature

For the Brown Sugar-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

• 1/3 cup (40 g) pumpkin seeds coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons (36 g) Demerara sugar
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) light or dark brown sugar packed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• In a medium bowl, stir the softened cream cheese with vanilla until smooth. Mix in the confectioners' sugar, stirring until creamy and no lumps remain. Add the cream cheese filling to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip or use a regular plastic bag. Set in the fridge until ready to use.

For the Pumpkin Muffins

• Place the butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium until creamy and lightened in color, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended.
• With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each completely before adding the next.
• Add the pumpkin, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix for an additional 1 minute. Periodically scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended. It might look a little grainy after adding the pumpkin; that's fine (see note in step-by-step photos).
• Add the flour in two batches, alternating with the milk, mixing on low and stopping when just combined. Let the muffin batter sit for 30 minutes while you mix together the Brown Sugar-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, the oven pre-heats and you prepare the muffin tin.
• Preheat the oven to 425℉ (220℃) and line every other muffin well with a paper liner.

For the Brown Sugar-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

• In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin seeds, Demerara sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

To Assemble

• Fill each muffin liner almost to the top and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. The mixture is thick, and this doesn't have to be perfect.
• Grab your cream cheese filling from the refrigerator, cut the tip of your pastry bag (or the corner of the plastic bag), press the tip about 1/4 inch (.6 cm) into the center of the pumpkin muffin batter and squeeze about 1 tablespoon into each muffin, leaving some cream cheese filling showing in the top of the muffin (see photos above recipe).
• Sprinkle a thick coating of the Brown Sugar-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds around the perimeter of the muffins.
• Bake the pumpkin muffins in the center of the oven for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350℉ (177℃) and bake for 15 minutes more. When done, the muffins will be puffed up and a toothpick pressed along the sides of the muffin will come out with some crumbs, but no wet batter. For best results, bake one tin at a time. Let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for about 10ish minutes, then use a butter knife to help get them out to finish cooling on a rack.

• Mixer Optional
  • This is a mixer optional recipe. You can use an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, a handheld mixer or a bowl and a spatula.
• The Brown Sugar-Spiced Pumpkin Seed Topping
  • The topping will soften over time. If you’re making these ahead of time, consider omitting the brown sugar from the topping and adding in more Demerara Sugar.
  • If you don’t have pumpkin seeds handy, toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts would be delicious here!
• Pumpkin Puree
  • Make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
  • If you use real pumpkin, make sure it is drained. You also want to make sure it is a thick consistency, or the muffins won’t turn out.
  • My absolute favorite, ride-or-die pumpkin puree is Libby’s for my US friends!
• Filling Every Other Muffin Well
  • I have you do this with all of my muffin recipes because it lets more heat circulate around each muffin in the oven, resulting in a higher muffin top. However, this pumpkin batter bakes up with beautiful crowns both ways. If you’re short on time or you only have one muffin tin, feel free to fill up all of them. They will still bake up beautifully! 
• Make-Ahead Muffins
  • I love these muffins best the same day they are made. You can make the muffin batter, cream cheese filling and the brown sugar-spiced pumpkin seed mixture the day before you plan on serving them. Store everything separately in covered containers and stash in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. The muffins may need an extra minute or two of bake time.
• Storage
  • Store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container.