Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins

There's nothing I like better than a certain coffee chain's 'Pumpkin Spice Latte' and one of their 'Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.' I don't like paying the price, so I cloned them to the best of my ability at home.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 295 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can cooked pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, as garnish

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

Step 2

Stir the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, ginger, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.

Step 3

Beat the brown sugar and the eggs together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and pumpkin; continue beating until integrated. Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture and beat until just incorporated.

Step 4

Fill the prepared muffin cups about half-full with the batter. Spoon about 1 teaspoon cream cheese into the center of each muffin cup and poke it down into the middle of the batter with a finger. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds over each muffin.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes and remove to a rack to cool completely. Be extra careful; the cream cheese stays hot for a while!