Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

There’s pumpkin cheesecake and there are pumpkin muffins, and then there are Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins. This delicious dessert is exactly what you imagine them to be. They are individual pumpkin cheesecakes served in muffin cups and eaten like a cupcake. I honestly don’t know of any more popular dessert with the younger set of kids in my household. 

To make these gems you start with a traditional pumpkin cheesecake batter. This is very easy to make. My only tip to you is that you make sure it is completely smooth before you pour the batter into the muffin cups to bake. Cheesecake can be temperamental when it bakes, and any lump will stay in the batter the whole way through.   

Once they are baked allow them to cool completely. Cheesecake should not be served warm. This is what also makes them ideal for the holidays because they can be made in advanced and serve a day or two later. Don’t you love recipes that are make-ahead?! I swear by them! 

For the holidays I like to arrange these on a dessert platter on the buffet. Or I serve these on individual dessert plates, and they are very pretty and fancy. There’s no wrong way to serve these Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins. I hope you enjoy them as a much as we do! 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins 

These are a great holiday dessert. They are light and fluffy with the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor. 

Ingredients 

For the Pumpkin Batter: 

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 

• 1 tsp baking soda 

• ½ tsp baking powder 

• ½ tsp salt 

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or ½ tsp nutmeg + ½ tsp ginger) 

• 1 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling) 

• ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter) 

• 1 cup granulated sugar 

• 2 large eggs 

• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

For the Cheesecake Swirl: 

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened 

• ¼ cup granulated sugar 

• 1 egg yolk 

• ½ tsp vanilla extract 

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. 

2. In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. In another bowl, whisk pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir gently until combined (don’t overmix). 

3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. 

4. Fill each muffin cup about ⅔ full of pumpkin batter. Add a spoonful of cheesecake filling on top of each. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl slightly. 

5. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a little moisture from cheesecake is fine). 

6. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. 

Nikki Glekas is the owner of Nikki Glekas Events, a full-service catering and events company located in Stamford, CT.. To discuss further please contact team@nikkiglekascollective.com or call 203.658.8659.