Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
These Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are just like Starbucks' but BETTER because they're homemade and packed with pumpkin spice flavor! You're going to LOVE these!
Servings: 16 muffins
Ingredients
For the Pepita Praline Crunch:
- 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar, divided
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Pumpkin Muffins:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups granulated white sugar
- 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with approx. 16 paper liners; set aside.
- For the pepita praline crunch: Melt the Tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pepitas and stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes or until toasted. Add in one (1) Tablespoon of the brown sugar and cook for about 1-2 more minutes, stirring constantly until mixture gets caramelized. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining Tablespoon of brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, stirring to coat completely. Set aside.
- For the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer until combined and smooth. Spoon into a piping bag (without a tip) and set aside.
- For the muffins: In a large bowl, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and whisk until combined. Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, combine the oil, sugar, pumpkin, milk, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, taking care to incorporate any dry pockets on the bottom! Do not overmix.
- Fill the muffin liners about 3/4 of the way full with muffin batter. Snip off the tip of the cream cheese filling bag and pipe about a Tablespoon or so of cream cheese filling into the center of the muffin batter. Lastly, sprinkle some pepita praline crunch around the edges of the exposed muffin batter, trying to leave the cream cheese center exposed.
- Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Allow to cool until warm to the touch before serving, or cool completely. Store leftovers airtight in the fridge up to 4 days.
Notes
Make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin puree for this recipe and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is just plain pumpkin, whereas pie filling has other ingredients, like sugar and spices already added.