Making these homemade, delicious, full of spicy autumn flavor Jumbo Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Muffins will instantly make you feel that fall has arrived.
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Pumpkin Muffins With Fall Flavor And Cream Cheese
It’s back-to-school season, and although my kiddos are too young for school just yet, I can’t help but become a kid again myself and get excited. This was my favorite time of year growing up. I loved the summer, but I couldn’t wait to wear my uniform and brand new pair of saddle shoes as the beginning of September approached. Seeing classmates that I hadn’t seen since June and meeting my new teacher were things I looked forward to, but the beginning of the school year also meant the Holidays were coming. Apple decorations were greeting us in the classrooms and hallways, but the apples would soon become pumpkins in a couple of weeks. These Jumbo Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Muffins, capture that memory. One bite, and it takes me back to being a kid at the beginning of fall and anticipating all the fun ahead.
Ingredients For The Pumpkin Batter
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar- The white sugar adds lightness, while the molasses in the brown sugar adds a deeper flavor and color to the pumpkin batter.
- Flour- Holds everything together.
- Salt- Balances out the sweetness.
- Baking powder and baking soda- Leavening agents to puff up these muffins.
- Pumpkin spice– All the fall flavors in one blend.
- Pumpkin puree- Pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Pure vanilla extract– Always use a good vanilla extract, this is my favorite.
- Vegetable oil- Adds moisture and tenderness to your muffins, cupcakes and cakes.
- Eggs- Adds moisuture and structure, and these big boys need help holding themselves up.
Ingredients For Cream Cheese Topping
- Cream cheese- The base for the cream cheese topping adding creaminess and tang.
- Granulated sugar- Sweetenes up the cream cheese making it more of a cheesecake flavor.
- Egg- Adds moisture and smoothness to the cream cheese topping.
- Pure vanilla extract– Adds a warm flavor to the topping.
- Cinnamon- Carries the fall theme from the pumpkin batter to the topping.
Helpful Tools For Your Jumbo Muffins
- 6-cup muffin tin– Make huge bakery style muffins with this jumbo muffin tin.
- Large muffin liner– Helps remove muffins from the baking tin easily and I also noticed liners keep the moisture in keeping the muffins fresh.
- Cooling racks– Save your counters from hot dishes coming out of the oven.
- Nesting bowls– Measure and collect all of your ingredients so assembling a recipe is very easy.
- Measuring cups and spoons– I love this set of meauring cups and spoons. They are very durable and being seperate as opposed to together on a ring, allows you to use and wash only what you need
- Electric hand mixer– Essential for whipping up all kinds of baked goods.
The sweet cream cheese topping is such a pleasant surprise because not only is it ecstatically pleasing, but it adds a smooth, tangy, and creaminess to the entire muffin. I flavored the cream cheese topping with a hint of cinnamon, which naturally pairs with the pumpkin spice. Think of the topping as a bit of cheesecake blended with the pumpkin. The body of the muffin is very tender and melts in your mouth, thanks to the pumpkin puree. They are pretty straightforward to make, but they do take a little extra time to bake because they are enormous. Sometimes the standard-size muffins just don’t cut it. Don’t get me wrong, a healthy all-bran or an oatmeal muffin are totally fine in a standard size, but these Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Muffins needed to be larger than life.
Start by preheating your oven to 425 F degrees and inserting muffin liners into your tin. Just note, the muffin tin I’m using is a 6 cup muffin tin, meaning each cavity holds 1 cup each of batter, so standard cupcake liners would be too small. I found these large natural brown muffin liners and they work perfectly. Let’s make the cream cheese topping. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix both sugars, pumpkin, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and eggs in a larger bowl. In three additions, add dry ingredients to the wet, just barely combining before the next addition. You don’t want to over mix this batter. Fill muffin tins with the pumpkin batter, about ¼ inch from the top.
Swirly Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Topping
Next, add dollops of the cream cheese topping, and using a small knife, swirl the two flavors together. As a result, you will have a subtle orange and cream swirl. Be mindful not to mix too deep, otherwise, the muffin won’t have its pretty top.
Baking Your Jumbo Pumpkin Muffins
Now place your muffins in the preheated oven and set the timer for 5 minutes. After the timer has gone off, reduce the heat in the oven to 350 F degrees, and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. My muffins took additional 35 minutes to bake. These puppies are very large, so don’t rush the baking. After the 35-minute mark, check every 2-3 minutes until set, and the toothpick is clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin until they can be handled, then remove them and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store loosely covered at room temperature for about 3-4 days. Enjoy these Jumbo Pumpkin And Cream Cheese Muffins with a cup of homemade apple cider.
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