Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks Copycat)
Soft gluten-free pumpkin muffins filled with a sweet cream cheese center and topped with chopped pepitas and pecans. My take on the Starbucks pumpkin muffin!
Servings: 12 muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 170 g full-fat cream cheese (6 ounces), softened
- 38 g granulated sugar 3 Tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Muffins
- 160 g pumpkin purée ⅔ cup
- 2 large eggs
- 60 g milk ¼ cup
- 39 g avocado oil 3 tablespoons
- 4 g vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 220 g Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour 1⅔ cups
- 110 g granulated sugar ½ cup
- 53 g light brown sugar ¼ cup, packed
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 57 g unsalted butter (4 tablespoons), softened
Topping
- 2 tablespoons chopped pepitas
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the Cream Cheese Filling
- Beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag. Cut off the tip, leaving an opening about ½ inch wide.
Make the Muffins
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Whisk together the pumpkin purée, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients. Mix on low-medium speed until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture resembles damp sand. There should be no visible pieces of butter.
- Add the pumpkin mixture. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase to medium and beat briefly until the batter is thick and smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Avoid prolonged mixing.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. A ¼-cup (2-ounce) scoop can help with even portioning.
- Sprinkle the chopped pepitas and pecans evenly over the muffin batter.
- Now, with the cream cheese filling you prepared earlier, insert the tip of the piping bag into the center of each muffin. Squeeze while slowly lifting the bag, finishing with a small dollop of filling on top. Divide the filling evenly among all 12 muffins.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin portion, away from the cream cheese filling, comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The internal temperature should be between 205°F and 210°F, measured in the pumpkin portion away from the cream cheese filling.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Gluten-free flour: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour. For the most consistent results, use this blend and weigh the flour.
- Pumpkin: Use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Cream cheese: The cream cheese must be very soft so the filling mixes smoothly and pipes easily.
- Filling: If you have filling left after filling all 12 muffins, go back through and pipe a little more into each one.
- Storage: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They are best within 2–3 days. Let them sit at room temperature briefly before serving. Freeze cooled muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Let them sit at room temperature briefly before serving for a softer texture.
