Pumpkin muffins are getting a lightly crunchy, sparkly cinnamon sugar topping, and then stuffed to the brim with maple cream cheese whipped cream. YUM.
Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
HOLY. SMOKES. Pumpkin muffins are getting a lightly crunchy, sparkly cinnamon sugar topping, and then stuffed to the brim with maple cream cheese whipped cream. They are pure joy.
Part muffin, part cupcake, and part cream puff – in other words, a match made in heaven.
Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
- Take Me To The Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- Lindsay’s Notes
- How To Make These Pumpkin Muffins
- Video
- Reviews
Lindsay’s Notes
These pumpkin muffins are exactly what I’ve needed these last few weeks: fluffy, joyful, distracting, unnecessary (but necessary), and comforting. (see also: this monkey bread)
I ate a cream cheese-filled pumpkin muffin from Caribou Coffee a few weeks ago, and that was the beginning of the end of this pumpkin muffin journey. Game over. It was SO good, and I was especially in love with the cream cheese layer – it wasn’t baked in, it was fluffy and light like a cream puff. Just injected right in the middle of the muffin.
And here we are now, making these at home. It feels wrong to call it a muffin, but calling it a cupcake isn’t quite right, either. Thankfully, I have full confidence that you’ll find the right moment to eat one of these: Saturday morning at home, holiday gathering, birthday party, football game. Midnight snack is also highly approved.
These muffins have been a delight and a joy in my life during these last couple crazy weeks. My girls have enjoyed sampling about 15 varieties of these as I worked them into exactly what I wanted them to be: fluffy, sparkly, just a tiny bit of crunch from the cinnamon sugar, and loaded (really, truly, LOADED) with fluffy whipped maple cream cheese.
I hope they bring a little bit of lightness and fun into your life this week!
How To Make These Pumpkin Muffins
Step 1: Make the muffins!
Standard pumpkin muffin material right here. I used these pumpkin muffins from Queen Sally of SBA – just changed the spices and the bake time instructions.
Step 2: Make a cinnamon sugar topping.
This topping is minimal effort but adds a but of sparkle and crunch. I borrowed this topping from our Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake, which is a good next stop once you’re done with these.
Step 3: Bake the muffins.
House smells amazing at this point.
Step 4: Make your whipped maple cream cheese filling.
This is a bit finnicky – don’t just throw it all in one bowl. Whip the cream cheese, whip the whipped cream, and then fold them together. Your efforts will be rewarded because THIS IS OTHERWORLDLY. This filling is borrowed from our Pumpkin Shortcakes with Cinnamon Apples, but just a bit more cream cheese forward.
Step 4: Cut a hole in the tops of the muffins.
You could also just skip this step and pipe your filling right in there, but this allows lots of room for lots of filling. Which is how I like it.
Plus, the extra little cone pieces are great for snacking and swiping into the extra cream cheese filling.
Step 5: Pipe that filling right in there.
I use a little pastry bag, or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off also works. Fill ‘er up!
And… you’re a bakery owner now. They’re beautiful.
And super delicious.
Watch How To Make These Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Pumpkin muffins are getting a lightly crunchy, sparkly cinnamon sugar topping, and then stuffed to the brim with maple cream cheese whipped cream. YUM.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pumpkin Muffins:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Maple Cream Cheese Filling:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (to taste)
Instructions
- Make Muffin Batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk oil and sugars. Add pumpkin, vanilla, eggs, and milk; whisk until just combined. Add flour, baking soda, spices, and salt; mix until just combined. Pour muffin batter into an oiled or nonstick muffin tin, filling about 3/4ths of the way to the top of each up.
- Make Cinnamon Sugar: Mix up the cinnamon sugar topping in a small bowl.
- Assemble and Bake: Spoon the cinnamon sugar over each muffin. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed.
- Make Maple Cream Cheese Filling: Add the cream to a small bowl and beat until light and fluffy and stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream, using the beaters again to smooth it out if needed. Add the maple syrup and mix until smooth.
- Fill The Muffins: Once the muffins have cooled, cut a cone out of the center of the muffins using a small paring knife. Using a piping bag, or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off, add the filling to the center hole in the muffins. Fill it all the way to the top (the filling will be exposed at the top – cute).
- Serve: These are ready to eat as-is! If making ahead, they should be stored in the fridge. They can be eaten at room temp or cold – both delicious!
Equipment
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Notes
The little cone pieces make great little snackers!
You’ll have extra filling – this is great for eating with the snack pieces, or dolloping on pancakes or waffles, or spooning over shortcakes, or topping a pie, just eating with a spoon out of the fridge.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cream cheese, whipped cheese, cream cheese whipped cream
Three Of My Favorite Cozy Bakes
October 25, 2023
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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I want these solely because the teeth marks in the maple cream cheese in the photo! 😂
They look absolutely amazing….
Oh, my goodness Lindsay. This looks soooo good! (smile) 🍁✨
Happy Thursday everyone. From the looks of things, these pumpkin muffins with maple cream cheese filling are an absolute game changer. Some people might be a bit skeptical about the maple and pumpkin combo. But once they open their minds up and experience the goodness, they’re guaranteed to come running back for more.
I’m quite confident that the rich scent of pumpkin mingled with the sweet undertones of maple will have peoples’ taste buds patiently waiting in anticipation. The subtle hint of maple took takes this tasty dessert to another level. It’s like autumn wrapped up in a little muffin.
Thank you so much for sharing this delightful recipe. Keep up the amazing work. Cheers to cozy autumn baking! 🍂🧁💛
I just told my teenage daughter I want to make these on Sunday for my Birthday – we will bake them together – I sent her the link and she responded – Those look so good!
Hope you both enjoy them! 🙂
Didn’t have time to make the muffins, so I made just the filling and spread it on Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Brioche. Delicious!!!
Disappointing. The pictures are beautiful, and I had high hopes for these! The muffins themselves were not very flavorful. The quantities of spices seems low; I wanted a more spiced result. In terms of texture, the muffins were moist but greasy. Despite the addition of salt, vanilla, and extra maple syrup, the filling was bland. Would not recommend.
Made these as directed and they are fantastic. The spicing is not overwhelming but I would not describe them as bland. It allows for the pumpkin, maple and cream cheese flavors to shine rather than tasting too much of cinnamon or clove. Pumpkin bread is the only sweet iteration of pumpkin I like and this has taken it to the next level.
Turned out great! I added extra pumpkin spice, a little extra pumpkin and less vegetable oil. Surprised how easy it was to pipe in the whipped cream!
Glad to hear it, Ashley!
Wow, these were really great. Muffins are sweet but balanced by the filling, and the texture of the filling is perfect! Next time I will make less cinnamon sugar topping, add finely chopped pecans to it, and sprinkle it just around the outside edge of the muffins before baking. Thank for this recipe!
Just made these for a Halloween after school treat and they were a huge hit. I made them per the recipe except added 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice to muffins and didn’t use all the cinnamon sugar topping. I added nutmeg and vanilla to the frosting. These are not overly sweet which my family loved. The textures were perfection. So easy and looked like they were straight from the bakery! Will make these again this week. Thanks!
Awesome! Glad you all enjoyed it!
Just made these! Very delicious!! I was sad that it didn’t call for the whole can of pumpkin and was tempted to use the whole thing anyway but was to worried it would make the texture to wet. Will definitely make again.
Just wondering if I can freeze the muffins for a week, defrost then add the sugar and cream cheese.
Hi! These look so good!!! Do you think you could make these muffins with the crumb topping and freeze them? And then thaw then when your ready, making the cream cheese filling to fill at the time of consuming them? (I’m assuming the cream cheese filling won’t freeze well). Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
Hi Mollie! When the muffins thaw, they may have more moisture than fresh-baked, which then would make the crumb topping wetter. I probably wouldn’t recommend it!
These are amazing!!! My daughter has celiac disease, so I substituted a gluten free flour blend and xanthan gum in place of the regular flour. I was so happy about how they turned out. The filling is to die for!
These look amazing and I will 1000% be making them in the next week or two. Will report back with a rating for sure!
I love this recipe! It makes the perfect amount, and I have a huge family! I never make the filling because I don’t like cream cheese, but I’m sure it’s delicious! We replace the milk with water for anyone who can’t have dairy, and it’s still amazing. There always gone in one day, and the crumble on top makes them perfect.
These pumpkin muffins look absolutely delicious! I love the idea of the maple cream cheese filling—such a perfect pairing. Can’t wait to try this recipe out for fall! 🍂🥰