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Moist Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins Easy Homemade Recipe with Brown Sugar Pecan Crumble

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These moist pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins feature a tender crumb with a marbled cream cheese center and a crunchy brown sugar pecan crumble topping, perfect for fall gatherings or cozy mornings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar (110g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (240ml), fresh or canned
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil (80ml)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk (120ml) (or milk + 1 tsp vinegar)
  • 8 oz cream cheese (225g), softened
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar (30g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chopped pecans (60g)
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar (50g)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (15g)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (42g), cold and diced
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease it.
  2. Make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, combine chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add cold diced butter and work into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the cream cheese swirl: Beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Avoid overbeating.
  4. Mix dry ingredients for muffins: Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
  5. Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until smooth.
  6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients gently until just combined; a few lumps are okay.
  7. Fill muffin cups about two tablespoons of pumpkin batter each. Add about one tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top and swirl gently with a skewer or knife to create a marbled effect. Repeat layering until cups are about two-thirds full.
  8. Sprinkle the brown sugar pecan crumble generously over each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter. If crumble browns too fast, loosely cover muffins with foil halfway through baking.
  10. Cool muffins in the tin for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Use softened cream cheese to avoid lumps in the swirl. Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender. Use cold butter for the crumble topping to create crisp pockets. Watch baking time closely to prevent drying out. For dairy-free, substitute cream cheese and butter with plant-based alternatives. Canned pumpkin puree works well year-round. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on crumble before baking for extra flavor.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, cream cheese swirl, brown sugar pecan crumble, fall baking, moist pumpkin muffins, easy muffin recipe, homemade muffins

Find it online: https://bakebelle.com/moist-pumpkin-cream-cheese-swirl-muffins-easy-homemade-recipe-with-brown-sugar-pecan-crumble/