Easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

It's that time of year again! Pumpkin everything is hitting the scene! Pumpkin pies! Pumpkin spice lattes! Oh, and pumpkin muffins!

Years ago, I started making these scrumptious pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling. And every year they continue to a HUGE hit with my family! Maybe they'll even be one of those recipes my kids continue making when they're grown because they remind them of home and the memories of our fall seasons together. Maybe...

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. Hayrides, visits to the pumpkin patch, corn mazes, bright colored leaves, and fall treats abound during these crisp, cool months. That includes pumpkin treats like these delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins! Yes, especially pumpkin muffins!

I have a confession though. These pumpkin muffins are only partly made from scratch. I "doctor up" a cake mix with a few simple ingredients and BAM--moist and delicious pumpkin muffins! These muffins are super quick and easy to prepare, but they'll look and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen baking them. The reality is that they can be made in minutes and require only a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand in your kitchen.

The recipe lends itself to a few variations. You can follow the directions below to whip up cream cheese filling for the muffins. You can also leave them plain because they are just as delicious without the filling. In fact, I make a batch without the cream cheese so my youngest son who has a dairy allergy can enjoy some too. Ready to whip up a batch and try them for yourself? Here's how...

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Prep: 10 Minutes

Bake Time: 25 Minutes

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

Muffins

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• brown sugar (optional)

Cream Cheese Filling

• 6 oz. cream cheese
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the puree.
2. Spoon the batter into a muffin pan that has been prepared with liners or misted with cooking spray. There will be enough batter for 12 large muffins.
3. If desired, add a sprinkling of brown sugar over the top of the batter. This will bake into a sugary crumble.
4. Back at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and pan. Set aside to cool.
5. While the muffins are cooling, mix up a batch of cream cheese filling. Combine cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until it reaches a smooth, creamy consistency.
6. Use a cake decorating tip (Wilton #230 works great!) and icing decorating bags to pipe a generous amount of cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin. This can be done while the muffins are still warm. Simply insert the decorating tip into the center of the muffin and squeeze cream cheese inside. Enjoy!

Happy baking!

Disclosure: Affiliate links have been included to help you find products used for making these muffins.
Note: A similar version of this post was originally shared on Clean and Scenstsible.