Pumpkin Spice Muffins are the epitome of fall’s favorite flavors. Well, maybe Apple Pie Fritter Cake and Crumb Top Apple Pie would make the list. These muffins are super moist, extra soft, and deliciously spiced. Fill them with a cream cheese filling or serve them plain for a delicious anytime fall treat.
SIS (Simple is Smart) TIP:
Skip the cream cheese filling and topping for a healthier version of these pumpkin spice muffins. Skipping the cream cheese filling and topping reduces the calories by about 40 calories. The muffins are so moist and soft that you may not miss the topping.
What Ingredients do I need for Pumpkin Spice Muffins?
Muffin ingredients:
- Flour: all-purpose flour weighing the flour will ensure your muffins are super moist.
- Sugar: granulated or white sugar.
- Brown Sugar: brown sugar adds extra moisture to the muffins.
- Baking Powder: The baking powder keeps reacting with the heat to give a leavening boost while the baked goods are in the oven.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda reacts immediately to acidic elements and gives an immediate leavening effect.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Make your pumpkin pie spice if you don’t have any on hand.
- Eggs: large eggs, room temperature
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla.
- Salt: enhances the sweetness and blocks bitterness.
- Vegetable or Coconut oil: I love coconut oil it adds just a hint of coconut to the muffins. Melt the oil before adding it to the batter.
Pumpkin Puree: If you want to make puree from pumpkins. Make sure you use pie or sugar pumpkins and here is How to Roast Pumpkins for Puree.
Filling and Frosting:
- Butter: Salted butter: because this is a caramel cream cheese frosting, the little extra salt in salted butter makes the frosting yummy.
- Cream Cheese: Like butter, adding cream cheese helps thicken a frosting without adding sweetness. Rich cream cheese does, however, add a delicious tangy taste. Be sure to use softened full-fat cream cheese for the easiest mixing and best taste. Any brand is good.
- Powdered Sugar: Dissolves in the frosting, leaving it creamy and smooth. Granulated sugar will leave the frosting gritty.
- Vanilla: Use real vanilla, no imitation flavored vanilla.
- Caramel: Make a super easy, thick rich caramel sauce with my Caramel Sauce Recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Pumpkin Spice Muffins:
Make the Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F 180°C
- Line two standard size muffins or cupcake pans with a total of 18 liners.
- Add the flour, sugars, salt, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and baking powder to a medium size bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add the pumpkin puree oil, eggs (whisk before adding), and vanilla. Pumpkin puree can be purchased if you don’t have time to roast a pumpkin and make the puree. If you roast pumpkins and make your own puree, the puree has extra moisture when the pumpkins are younger. If you have a deep orange mature sugar pumpkin, the flesh will be dryer, and you won’t need to remove the extra moisture with a nut milk bag.
- Stir until the flour mixture is just moistened and everything is mixed in.
- Use a cupcake/muffin batter scoop to fill the muffin liners.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- While the muffins are cooling, make the cream cheese caramel filling. They will need to cool completely before you frost them.
Cream Cheese Filling and Topping
- Cream the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed.
- Add the vanilla, and caramel sauce. Mix in.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Adjust the consistency with more caramel sauce if it is too thick to comfortably pipe, or add more powdered sugar if it is too thin to hold its shape when piped.
Fill and decorate the muffins
- The muffins are delicious (and healthier) if you don’t fill and top them with the cream cheese filling.
- Use a cupcake corer tool to remove the center of the muffin.
- Pipe the prepared cream cheese filling into the hole and then add a swirl of topping to the top of the muffin using a pastry bag and a wilton 2A round tip.
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Pumpkin Spice Muffins - Best Ever
Pumpkin spice muffins are a fall go to breakfast and snack favorite. Moist, and full of that favorite fall spice we all love - pumpkin spice.
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin regular size muffins
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- To see the ingredient amounts in metric units, click the blue "METRIC:" button between the ingredients and the instructions for this recipe.
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1¾ cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup coconut or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
Cream Cheese Filling and Topping
- 3 tbsp butter room temp
- 3 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1½ tbsp caramel sauce use heavy cream is you don't have caramel sauce.
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F 180°C
- Line two standard size muffins or cupcake pans with a total of 18 liners.
- Add the flour, sugars, salt, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and baking powder to a medium size bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add the pumpkin puree (see notes), oil, eggs (whisk before adding), and vanilla.
- Stir until the flour mixture is just moistened and everything is mixed in.
- Use a cupcake/muffin batter scoop to fill the muffin liners.
- Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- While the muffins are cooling make the cream cheese caramel filling. They need to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Filling and Topping
- Cream the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed.
- Add the vanilla, and caramel sauce. Mix in.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Adjust the consistency with more caramel sauce if it is too thick to comfortably pipe, or add more powdered sugar if it is too thin to hold its shape when piped.
Fill and decorate the muffins
- The muffins are delicious (and healthier) if you don't fill and top them with the cream cheese filling.
- Use a cupcake corer tool to remove the center of the muffin.
- Pipe the prepared cream cheese filling into the hole and then add a swirl of topping to the top of the muffin using a pastry bag and a wilton 2A round tip.
Video
Notes
Note the filling and topping added 40 calories to each muffin.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 3831IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
