Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins

Moist and tender pumpkin muffins filled with cream cheese and topped with a crunchy oat streusel are perfect for a Fall treat. This is the only pumpkin muffin I have on my blog. Why??? Because it's so good that it's the only one I need!

Seriously? I'm posting another baked goods recipe?? *Sigh with eye roll* I hope you aren't too disappointed or burnt out on baked goods - I've had quite a few on the blog lately and I promise this will be the last one...for a few weeks at least.  This fall has been an adventure in the baking department for me as I've forsaken a few seasonal favorites to try some new recipes.  Some years you just have to go out on a limb, you know?

Like, for example, my kitchen has yet to be graced with the presence of pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, pumpkin bread, or pumpkin cinnamon rolls, which are usually first on my list of things to bake for the fall season.  But if I hadn't postponed their production, the birth of  Mason Jar Pumpkin Cakes and Pumpkin Cookie Butter Doodles might not have happened.  And I probably wouldn't have bought a donut pan for Apple Cider Donuts.  And I certainly wouldn't have stumbled upon this out-of-this world delicious recipe for gooey cream cheese stuffed pumpkin streusel muffins from Annie's Eats.  I knew from the moment I laid eyes on them through Annie's blog that they must be brought to life in my own kitchen.  I guess to make up for the absence of pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting? Whatever - you don't need an excuse to try a new recipe - ESPECIALLY if you have someone to share it with and ESPECIALLY if it's a lightened up version of a seasonal favorite.  Am I right or am I right???

So let's just have a little chat about these muffins.  People go crazy over this seasonal favorite at Starbucks; likely blissfully ignorant that one muffin has 420 calories, which is probably what they should be eating for an entire meal...and we won't even consider the calories provided by whatever beverage they order with their muffin.  Nope. We are going to think happy thoughts. The first being that these homemade, whole grain, lightened up but equally delicious muffins have only 211 calories per muffin.....!!!!!  That's perfectly acceptable for breakfast with a serving of fruit or as a snack with your afternoon tea.

Second happy thought: even though these muffins taste best fresh out of the oven and you may be tempted to eat half the pan at that very moment, have some restraint and save as many as possible for consumption during the week.  Mine stayed fresh and tasted amazing on day 6, which was like, the best thing ever because I had a pumpkin spiced muffin filled with gooey cream cheese and crumbly crunchy streusel topping waiting for me at the start of each morning.  Did I say that last week was a great week yet??? Happy Monday, friends.

Special equipment used for this recipe:

• USA Bakeware 12-cup Muffin Tin (best nonstick muffin pan I've ever used - bakes like a dream and super easy to clean!) 

Have you made these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins?

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Recipe

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins

Moist and tender pumpkin muffins filled with cream cheese and topped with a crunchy oat streusel.

Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetcayenne5 or tag #sweetcayenne!

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon honey

For the topping:

• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
• 4 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 ½ tablespoons coarse sugar (turbinado or demerera)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the muffins:

• 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (honey would also work)
• 1 cup packed pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup neutral flavored oil (such as canola)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce

Instructions

For the filling:

• In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and honey. Whisk until smooth. Drop by the teaspoon full onto a plate covered with wax paper that will fit into your freezer. You should have 12 rounds total. Place in the freezer, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

For the streusel topping:

• To make the topping, combine the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the muffins:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, spices,salt and baking soda.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, oil and applesauce. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

Muffin assembly:

• Fill the bottom of each muffin well with 1-2 tablespoons of batter; or enough to cover the bottom. Place a round of cream cheese into each of the 12 muffin wells. Divide the remainder of the batter evenly into each well, being sure to cover the cream cheese completely.
• Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over each muffin well.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 20-30 minutes before serving as the filling will be very hot! Muffins will keep in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Serving: 1Muffin | Calories: 217kcal

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