Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodle Muffins Recipe
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodle Muffins combine the warm spices of fall with a creamy cheesecake center for a delicious twist on traditional muffins. Featuring a moist pumpkin batter spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, each muffin is topped with a classic cinnamon sugar coating for a perfect balance of sweet and spice, ideal for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Muffin Batter
- 2 cups (9 ounces or 255 grams) white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until very smooth and well combined. Refrigerate the mixture while preparing the muffins so it can firm up.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Muffin Tin: Set your oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line each cup with paper liners to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients for Muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg ensuring the spices are evenly distributed.
- Combine Wet Ingredients for Muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the dark brown sugar, molasses, applesauce, and eggs until fully blended. Add the canned pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Buttermilk: Alternately whisk in the flour mixture and buttermilk into the wet ingredients in two batches each, taking care not to overmix to keep the batter tender and light.
- Assemble the Muffins: Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom. Add a heaping teaspoon of the chilled cream cheese filling on top of this batter layer, then cover with the remaining batter to enclose the cream cheese.
- Bake the Muffins: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. After baking, transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let them cool for 15 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely.
- Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Topping: In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Dip the top of each cooled muffin in the melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture so the tops are evenly coated.
Notes
- Allow the cream cheese filling to chill properly to prevent it from melting too quickly during baking.
- Do not overmix the muffin batter to avoid dense muffins.
- Using white whole wheat flour adds a nuttier flavor and more fiber compared to regular all-purpose flour.
- The cinnamon sugar topping adds a delightful crunch and enhances the snickerdoodle flavor.
- For best texture, consume muffins within 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Keywords: Pumpkin Muffins, Cheesecake Muffins, Snickerdoodle Muffins, Fall Recipes, Pumpkin Spice, Breakfast Muffins
