What better way to celebrate the arrival of Fall than Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting? These moist muffins are already out of this world, but when you add a heaping pile of creamy spiced goodness, you truly get the perfect bite.
In south Georgia, Fall is a fleeting (if even existent at all) season.
So those of us that live in the south rely heavily on pumpkin spice and the acceptance of boots with shorts as a fashion statement to make us feel like we are experiencing Fall with the rest of the country.
And eating these Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting is like sinking your teeth into Fall’s finest flavors! If you prefer a crumbly top over frosting, check out these Pumpkin Banana Muffins with Crumble Top!
As a time-pressed mom who loves to bake, I appreciate a homemade muffin recipe that brings tons of flavor without all the fuss. This muffin recipe requires just one bowl, and about 30 minutes to make.
Plus, the optional spiced cream cheese frosting is the simplest way to elevate your muffins, with both a 5-ingredient and 7-ingredient option to make it accessible to all levels of home bakers.
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients
Here’s everything you need for the muffins:
- Pure Pumpkin Puree.
- Unsalted butter.
- All-purpose flour.
- Brown Sugar. I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar works here, too.
- Granulated Sugar.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Eggs.
- Baking Soda.
- Salt.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Milk. Any percentage dairy milk or unsweetened, unflavored nondairy milk works here.
Here’s what you need for the frosting:
- Unsalted butter.
- Cream cheese. I used a regular block, you can use low fat if you prefer.
- Vanilla extract.
Pumpkin Muffins Tips and Tricks
You’ll Need A Hand Mixer
A hand mixer is the best tool to cream the sugar and butter together for the base of your muffins. It’s also the easiest way to combine the rest of the ingredients.
I use this Cuisinart Hand Mixer for almost all of my baking and love it!
The Secret is in the Softening
The butter you use should be unsalted, so you can control the amount of salt you are adding to your pumpkin muffins. You will also want to make sure your butter is nice and soft.
If you take it out of the fridge before you get started, and set it near your oven while it’s preheating, that should be plenty of time for it to soften. If you forget to take it out—don’t worry! Just microwave it in 15-second intervals until you get the right consistency.
Remember, we are striving for softened, not melted. You’ll know your butter is softened when your finger leaves an imprint when you poke it. For more details and options for softening your butter, check out this article on How to Quickly and Easily Soften Butter.
Cream The Butter and Sugar and Pumpkin First
Creaming your fat (in this case butter) and the sugar together doesn’t just combine these ingredients together, it actually aerates them.
Adding these air pockets is a super-effective way to get a lighter, fluffier muffin. Add the pumpkin puree, butter, and both sugars to a large mixing bowl first and use a hand mixer to aerate.
Add The Eggs and Vanilla Next
Arguably the best part of this muffin recipe is it only requires one bowl. Less cleanup is always music to my ears!
But one bowl baking means mixing all the ingredients can be a little bit more difficult. So, there’s a particular order in which things should be added to ensure everything is well combined.
After creaming your butter, sugars, and pumpkin puree, add your eggs and vanilla extract. Use your hand mixer to integrate.
Dry Ingredients Come Next
Next comes your dry ingredients. Add the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
Use your hand mixer to combine, ensuring that no clumps of flour or baking soda are left behind, and that the spices are evenly distributed.
Add You Milk Last
And finally, add your milk. It’s easiest to add it 1/4 cup at a time, mixing in between. Or, you can simply add it while your hand mixer is on low.
To make sure it is completely integrated, use a spatula to push the batter down from the sides of the bowl and mix again.
Don’t Forget to Line or Grease
The last thing you want is to make this tempting batter, pour them into the tin, smell their deliciousness wafting from the oven, wait anxiously for them to cool and then NOT be able to remove them!
Always grease your muffin tin completely with butter, oil, or nonstick spray. You could also opt for muffin tin liners!
Consider a reusable oil sprayer! You can refill it over and over with your oil of choice instead of buying spray oil in single-use aerosol containers.
Fill Your Muffin Tin
These muffins do rise, so you fill them about 3/4 of the way, leaving space for the fluffy muffin top.
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting Tips and Tricks
Mix Your Cream Cheese, Butter, and Vanilla Extract First
Once again, you’ll have the best success if your butter and cream cheese are softened.
Add them to a mixing bowl with the vanilla extract and whip until smooth. Then, you can add your spices and mix until evenly distributed.
Add The Sugar Slowly
Start with 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix it into your spiced cream cheese/butter mixture.
Then, continue to add, with the hand mixer on low until you get your desired consistency. I find mine is perfect after 2 full cups, but it may be a little more or a little less depending mostly on the temperature of your kitchen.
Lastly, add your spices and mix to combine.
Pro tip: For an easier, 5-ingredient cream cheese recipe, you can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, cloves, and all-spice here. Just use ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in place of all three spices.
Melt Hearts, Not Frosting
The hardest part of baking these bad boys is waiting to frost them once they come out of the oven.
I’ll admit it, nine times out of ten I’ll eat one warm before I get the chance to frost it. But, after your ONE, let the rest cool completely before frosting.
Because while a muffin swimming in a pool of melted cream cheese frosting will probably still taste good, our goal is to get a little pile of deliciousness on top.
Use a Piping Bag
The easiest way to add your spiced cream cheese frosting is with a piping bag. Once you’ve made your frosting, add it to a piping bag and store it in the refrigerator until your muffins are completely cooled.
Slowly squeeze the frosting out of the piping bag as you move in a circular motion around the top of the muffin. Reduce your plastic waste by using these Reusable Piping Bags!
If you don’t have piping bags, you can easily use a storage bag. Just seal it and use scissors to cut the very tip of one corner off. Voila! Makeshift piping bag!
Storing Your Pumpkin Muffins
In an airtight container, these babies will last about 3 days at room temperature or a week in the fridge.
It’s best not to freeze these frosted, but if you opted to leave off the spiced cream cheese frosting, you can! Store just the muffins in an airtight container in the freezer for about 3 months.
Just thaw before enjoying!
Why You Should Make These Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
- They’re festive. The smell, look, and taste of Fall all in muffin form.
- They’re moist. the texture is beyond soft and moist!
- That frosting! The perfect spice blend only enhances the deliciousness of the cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Reusable Baking Cups (optional)
- Reusable Piping Bag (optional)
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffins
- 15 ounces pure pumpkin puree, canned
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- ¾ cup milk
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounce block of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cloves (*see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (*see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon allspice (*see notes)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Muffins
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line or spray your muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together pumpkin puree, butter, and sugars until well combined.15 ounces pure pumpkin puree, canned, ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until just integrated.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, and mix until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Add milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, mixing in between, until well combined.¾ cup milk
- Fill each cup in your muffin tin about 3/4 of the way with the batter, leaving just a little bit of room to rise.
- Bake 17-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract together until smooth.1 stick unsalted butter, softened, 8 ounce block of cream cheese, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the cloves, cinnamon, and all-spice, and mix until they are evenly distributed.¼ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice
- Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and beat until fully integrated. Then, continue to add powdered sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, continuously mixing until desired consistency is achieved.2 cups powdered sugar
- Wait until muffins are completely cooled to use a piping bag or spatula to generously frost each muffin. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- *If you want to make the cream cheese frosting recipe for pumpkin spice muffins easier, you can easily substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cloves, cinnamon, and all-spice. Simply omit those spices and add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice instead.
- Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. If you don’t have time to wait, you can microwave them in 15 second-intervals until just softened- not melted!
2 thoughts on “Festive Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting”
These are the best pumpkin muffins I have ever had. I have tried many different recipes over the years but nothing like this. This has the best of both worlds, moist muffin and deliciously spiced frosting. I brought these to work and EVERYONE loved them !!!! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe. Cheers
Aww Carol! I’m so glad these were a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂