These small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins make only four muffins. They are moist and flavorful topped with a cream cheese filling and crisp crumble on top.
Let the Fall Baking Begin!
If you’re looking for some fall baking recipes you’ve come to the right spot! I am a pumpkin loving fanatic and so ready for the pumpkin season. Definitely make sure to try my pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread with cinnamon swirl and pumpkin snickerdoodles. There are so many more delicious pumpkin recipes on my page just make sure to search it in the search bar.
I’ve always loved baking but sometimes I tend to find it hard to finish it all before i find a new one to make. And if you’re looking for recipes that won’t leave you with a ton of leftovers, you’re in the right place.
These small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins only make 4 and can easily be doubled to make 8, still not a full dozen. It starts off with moist pumpkin muffin batter that’s made with dark brown sugar to give you all the depth and flavor of the molasses. It’s not overly sweet which pairs it so well with the sweet cream cheese filling and topped with a simple pecan oat crumble. These muffins were very much inspired by the famous Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins but now you can have them year-round and it’s more bang for your buck!
If you are looking for some more small batch recipes make sure to check them out along with the rest of my fall bakes. I’m so excited to add these small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins to my collection.
Why you’ll love these Small Batch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
- Small batch: Meaning only makes 4, enough to enjoy but also not too much they’ll go bad before you eat them all.
- Simple and easy muffin recipe: This small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins are made with simple ingredients and don’t require a stand mixer. You’ll most likely have these ingredients in your pantry already
- Copycat of Starbucks: If you’ve had the pumpkin cream cheese muffins from Starbucks and loved them these would give you the satisfaction of making them in your own home and eating more than half the price.
- Jump into Fall: These muffins are the perfect way to jump into fall, they are the perfect fall breakfast
Small Batch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Ingredients
Have I convinced you to make these instead of buying them yet?
Here’s a grocery list to making these Small Batch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Pumpkin Muffin Batter
Flour: All-purpose flour creates the perfect base for the muffin batter
Sugar: Only dark brown sugar is used in this recipe. If you don’t have dark brown, you can substitute with light brown sugar. I wouldn’t recommend substituting the brown sugar for a white sugar, but it will still work, your pumpkin cream cheese muffin will be lighter in color.
Oil: Helps with moisture, use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil
Baking powder: This helps the muffins rise
Egg: I only use large eggs in my recipes, eggs help with binding the batter and moisture
Pumpkin puree: Gives the pumpkin batter the pumpkin muffin flavor, just make sure to use pure pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree also provides the muffin with tons of moisture. Favorite brand is Libby’s Pumpkin Puree.
Cinnamon/Pumpkin spice: Provides the pumpkin muffins with all the warmth and flavor
Vanilla Extract: Extra flavor
Cream cheese filling
Cream cheese: I always recommend using full fat cream cheese
Sugar: A little sugar sweetens the cream cheese filling
Pumpkin spice: This is optional, but I thought a little extra pumpkin spice in the cream cheese wouldn’t hurt.
Egg: This entire pumpkin muffin recipe uses one large egg, make sure to carefully read the instructions before adding in one whole large egg to the cream cheese filling
Streusel Topping:
Pecans: Optional but feel free to add any nuts here you’d like. Pumpkin seeds are also a great substitute.
Oats: Rolled oats or instant oats will work great in this recipe
Butter: Make sure to use real butter, this helps bind the dry ingredients and creates the crumble clumps
Flour: Structure of the streusel
Brown Sugar: Sweetens the crumble, I wouldn’t recommend substituting with white sugar
How to make small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins
Preheat oven to 400F. If using muffin liners, line 4 into a muffin pan. If no muffin liner is used use a nonstick spray and grease the muffin tin generously.
In a medium bowl add in flour, baking powder, spice and spices. Whisk and the set aside.
Next, combine the oil, dark brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Crack the large egg in a small bowl whisk until thoroughly mixed and reserve 1 tablespoon for the cream cheese filling.
Add the whisked egg to the wet ingredients and combine until mixed.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Cream Cheese Filling:
In a small bowl combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin spice and the 1 tbsp of whisked egg from the pumpkin batter. Mix with a hand mixer or a whisk until combined and then set aside.
Streusel:
Combine all the ingredients except the pecans and mix together until it combines and then add in the chopped pecans. The texture should be sandy like with clumps.
Assemble Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
With a medium cookie scoop divide the pumpkin muffin batter into the 4 cavities. Fill a piping bag or Ziplock bag with the cream cheese filling and insert the bag into the center of each muffin. Fill and divide the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the streusel on top of each muffin or just the sides for the signature look.
Baking:
Place muffins into the preheated oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the tooth inserted into the muffin is done.
Once muffins are done remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool on muffin pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing. Allow them to cooling rack or enjoy these small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins warm.
Jen’s Baking Tips
Weigh your ingredients:
As I always say fluff, scoop and level off the flour before putting it into your mixing bowl. Too much flour will create a tough and hard muffin and too little will cause the batter to be runny and not have enough structure.
Room temperature:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. The cream cheese in the filling will have lumps of small cream cheese pockets if the cream cheese is not at room temperature before mixing.
Beautiful bakery dome muffins:
Bake your muffins at 400F. This allows the muffins to rise nice and tall. Bake in every other muffin cavity for the best results. This allows the heat to distribute evenly during the baking process.
Oven:
I always say not every oven is created equally. Your 400F oven might not actually be 400F. using an oven thermometer will help gauge your oven temperature if it’s off by 20 or 10 degrees.
Even sized muffins:
We want even sized muffins not just for looks but it’s also so that the muffins bake evenly. If you accidentally scooped a little more muffin batter into one and not the other the large muffin batter will naturally need a few more minutes to bake, while the smaller muffins are already done. This creates the muffin to overbake which leads to dry and hard muffins. I find that using a medium or large cookie scooper works so well. It helps with even sized baked goods and for cleaning.
Overmixing:
Once the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients touch the gluten begins to form. Overmixing the muffin batter creates a tough muffin. Have you ever seen holes in your muffin when you cut it open? This is caused by overmixing the muffin batter, it’s called tunneling.
Frequently Asked Questions for Small Batch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
Double the Recipe:
Yes, this recipe can easily be doubled!
Can I use homemade pumpkin puree?
Absolutely! Not everyone makes pumpkin puree so canned is just an easier alternative that works great!
How to store leftovers?
These small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins are best enjoyed the same day, you can never beat fresh and tender pumpkin muffin when it’s freshly baked. The crispiness of the muffin gets soggy. But these delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins will stay will moist for a couple more days. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator and heat up in the microwave for a 15 to 20 seconds before enjoying.
Can I use my own Pumpkin spice season?
Of course! Not all pumpkin spice seasonings are created equal. Feel free to use any blend you’d like.
Can I just make these into regular pumpkin muffins?
Most definitely, although I feel like the cream cheese filling is the best part of the muffins. The streusel is optional but brings the entire pumpkin muffin look together.
Other Small Batch Recipes you might enjoy:
More Pumpkin Desserts:
Small Batch Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- 1/3 cup Oil
- 1 Large Egg Whisked, reserve 1 tbsp
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Spice
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 2 oz Cream cheese room temperatre
- 1 tbsp Egg reserved egg from muffin batter
- 1/4 tsp Pumpkin spice
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
Streusel Topping
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Butter room temperature
- 1 tbsp Oats
- 1 tbsp Pecans chopped
Instructions
Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Grease or line 4 muffin cavities and set to the side.
- In a medium bowl add in the dry ingredients. Whisk and the set aside.
- Next, combine the oil, dark brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Crack the large egg in a small bowl whisk until thoroughly mixed and reserve 1 tablespoon for the cream cheese filling.
- Add the whisked egg to the wet ingredients and combine until mixed.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Cream Cheese Filling:
- In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin spice and the 1 tbsp of whisked egg from the pumpkin batter. Mix until combined and place into a piping bag.
Streusel:
- Combine all the ingredients except the pecans and mix together until it combines and then add in the chopped pecans.
Assemble:
- With a medium cookie scoop divide the pumpkin muffin batter into the 4 cavities. Take the piping bag filled with cream cheese and insert it into the middle of each muffin, fill and divide the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the streusel on top of each muffin or just the sides for the signature look.
Baking:
- Place muffins into the preheated oven and bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the tooth inserted into the muffin is done.
- Once muffins are done remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool on muffin pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing. Allow them to cooling rack or enjoy these small batch pumpkin cream cheese muffins warm.
