Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

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Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

If you’ve ever waited in the autumn drive-thru line for that iconic Starbucks treat, this recipe is for you. These Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a fall dream come true. They feature a perfectly spiced, moist pumpkin muffin base that is sweet and tender, and it’s filled with a decadent, tangy, cream cheese frosting core. The combination of the warm pumpkin spices and the cool, creamy cheesecake-like filling is irresistible. This recipe makes about 12-15 muffins, making them perfect for sharing at breakfast, brunch, or as a cozy afternoon snack with coffee. Best of all, you can make them at home, any time of the year!

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Ingredients

Here is everything you need to make these incredible muffins.

For the Pumpkin Muffin Batter:

  • Flour: 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour, spooned and leveled.

  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: 1 tablespoon. (If you don’t have this, use a blend of 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp ginger, and a pinch of cloves).

  • Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon.

  • Salt: ½ teaspoon.

  • Pumpkin Puree: 1 cup (Make sure it’s 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling).

  • Vegetable Oil: ½ cup (Or use melted butter or a neutral oil like canola).

  • Eggs: 2 large, at room temperature.

  • Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.

  • Granulated Sugar: 1 cup.

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • Cream Cheese: 8 ounces, full-fat, softened to room temperature.

  • Granulated Sugar: ¼ cup.

  • Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.

Topping:

  • Raw Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas): 2-3 tablespoons, for sprinkling.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these numbered steps to create the perfect pumpkin cream cheese muffins.

Step 1: Prepare the Cream Cheese Filling

  1. In a small bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to beat the softened 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. Be sure there are no lumps.

  2. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a small plastic ziplock bag. Snip off a small corner (about ¼ inch). Place the bag in the refrigerator to chill while you make the muffin batter; this will make it easier to pipe later.

Step 2: Preheat and Prep

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

  2. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. This recipe makes slightly more than 12 muffins, so have a second tin ready for the remaining 2-3 muffins, or bake them in two batches.

Step 3: Whisk the Dry Ingredients

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 ½ cups flour, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt until well combined.

Step 4: Mix the Wet Ingredients

  1. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup oil, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup pumpkin puree until the mixture is smooth and uniform.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry

  1. Pour the dry flour mixture into the large bowl with the wet pumpkin mixture.

  2. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold the ingredients together gently. Mix only until you see no more streaks of flour. Do not overmix, or the muffins will become dense and tough. The batter should be thick.

Step 6: Fill the Muffin Tins

  1. Scoop the pumpkin batter evenly into the prepared muffin liners, filling them about ⅔ full.

Step 7: Add the Cream Cheese Core

  1. Retrieve the chilled cream cheese filling bag

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