In honor of fall, I’m sharing one of my favorite sweet treat recipes- rich, spiced pumpkin muffins swirled with a rich cream cheese filling. These have the perfect level of sweetness and are extremely rich. They’re guaranteed to be a favorite for holiday parties/gatherings.

Ingredients

For the Muffins

• 16 oz can pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ⅔ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice seasoning or pumpkin pie spice extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (adjust as needed)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
  

For the Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  

Instructions

For the Muffins

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, vegetable oil, milk, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice seasoning or pumpkin pie spice extract, and cinnamon until smooth.
2. Gradually fold in the flour until the batter is slightly thicker than pancake batter — it should be moist but not runny or overly dry. If the batter is too dry, you can add in a little more milk.
3. Add the baking powder and baking soda, mixing just until fully combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly into cupcake liners set in a muffin tin. This recipe makes 12 standard muffins or 6 larger muffins.
   

For the Cream Cheese Filling

1. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
2. Transfer the filling to a piping bag (or a Ziploc bag with the tip cut off).
3. Pipe the cream cheese filling into each muffin, starting in the center and swirling toward the top. Repeat for all muffins.

To Bake

1. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25–30 minutes, until the muffins are set and lightly golden.
2. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!