Pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins use up that half can of puree staring at you from the fridge. Spiced pumpkin batter, a cream cheese ribbon, and a short bake. They freeze well, which is dangerous knowledge.
Pantry-friendly here means swaps are welcome. Amounts are still listed so you can cook without guessing.
Yield: 12 muffins · Time: 20 min · 18-22 min bake
Ingredients
Pumpkin batter
- 1¾ cups (210 g) flour
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240 g) pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (120 ml) oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Swirl
- 6 oz cream cheese soft
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tsp vanilla
Steps
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin.
- Whisk pumpkin puree with oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt just until combined.
- Beat cream cheese filling smooth. Fill cups with pumpkin batter, dollop filling, swirl once with a knife.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes until set. Cool on a rack.
Use-what-you-have swaps
- Half can pumpkin → freeze the rest in ½-cup blobs
Serve / store
Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days because of the cream cheese. Bring to room temp or warm briefly before eating.
Leftover puree? Measure what you need, freeze the rest flat in a bag, and label the amount for next time. Tip from our chaotic kitchen: read the ingredient list once before you start, preheat before you mix wet and dry, and set a timer even when you think you will remember. Taste as you go when the recipe allows it, and write a note on the recipe card if you changed a spice amount so next time is easier.
Photo/Image credit: Pexels via Pexels (Pumpkin muffins) (Pexels License (free to use))
Photo: Beautifully Chaotic Life (original illustrative image). Beautifully Chaotic Life created this image for the post.
