Lined up like little dancers, these Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Streusel Caps make 18 total or a dozen and a mini Pumpkin Bread Loaf.

On October 27, 1966 Charles Schultz and CBS introduced one of the most iconic Halloween specials that would forever change the way I viewed following a crowd, and this timeless classic, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” has been a family favorite for millions of families ever since. The Peanuts comic strip is brilliant in its ability to evoke laughter, empathy, and the peculiar relationships children can foster with one another and how they truly can be little adults in the world of “Children should be seen and not heard”. Each character is lovable, and countless movie specials, extended comic collections, and even a musical were spawned from the genius of Mr. Schultz.

In “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, one of the most poignant messages I took away from this charming cartoon is that you can absolutely believe in something and stick to your belief steadfastly, without wavering, and feel that you do not have to follow a crowd just to fit in. Linus is unmovable on his conviction that the Great Pumpkin truly exists, and earnestly stands strong in his belief, no matter who of his friends were making fun of him or doubting him. Truly, I have no idea if that is what “the deeper meaning” of this special was supposed to be, but it is a lesson that I have carried with myself throughout my childhood and into my adulthood.

These little muffins are capped with the Cream Cheese Filling and Streusel Topping, but it is such a delicate layer of both that it does not overwhelm the Pumpkin Muffin itself.

Relying on that instincts to follow my gut and hold steady to what I believe is the best path for myself has led me to understand nuances of situations, conversations and incidents in my life. Ultimately, I am so thankful I followed my intuition in so many situations and obstacles that have cropped up thus far. One example in particular of following my instincts being spot on, is when my husband and I exchanged vows just four months and four days after meeting one another. We were met with an overwhelming wave of skepticism that the marriage would actually work, and were often urged to wait to get to know each other a bit better before making such a leap to legalize things. Going against my instincts is something that I traditionally tend to regret, and I knew without a doubt this man was my matching sock, my lobster, whatever else you want to call it.

So a few years ago, I boldly (and jokingly) made a statement that I was only going to solely exist on all things Pumpkin during the month of October. I of course was referencing my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte (extra shot of espresso), but I do enjoy and savor more nutritious variants of pumpkin. You can incorporate the vegetable into a multitude of unsweet, nutritious dishes, such as stews, pastas, or salads, but there is something about that little orange carriage that is magical in sweet incarnations. While I would have adored just indulging only a few, delectable desserts for the whole of that month, I knew in my gut that was probably a terrible life decision, nutritionally. One of the things that I took away rom that period was this little muffin recipe, and I think it is a keeper. Like how Cinderella's Fairy Godmother transformed a plain pumpkin into a beautiful carriage, the Cream Cheese Caps transform this plain Pumpkin Muffin into something magical and stunning.

A hearty little muffin, these pair perfectly with coffee or a big glass of milk.

Somehow, throughout the kitchens and years of dedicated (or sometimes forced) muffin baking, muffins evolved from dense, nutritional little accompaniments to breakfast into little mini cakes, complete with a much lighter texture and some inventive toppings and fillings that make them tiptoe over the line of dessert. For myself, cake is cake, and a muffin is a muffin, texturally. I love the heartiness that a muffin crumb can achieve without being overly chewy and tough, and I find that a truly magnificent muffin stays with you longer in terms of satisfaction than an airy cake because of that texture. Those bakery style muffins are delicious, but often so massive that something is lost if you eat the entire thing in one sitting.

These little Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Streusel Caps stay true to the texture of an old fashioned muffin without becoming too cake-y, nice and dense yet tender with a fine, even crumb. The batter is perfumed and aromatic with Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger and Nutmeg, though none o them overwhelm the natural flavors of the Pumpkin. These little muffins are topped with three different elements that make darling little snowy caps that ensure you experience the heartiness of the muffin itself, to the creaminess of the Cream Cheese Filling, a bit of crumbled Cinnamon streusel and just a hint of crunch and grit for texture from the Turbinado Sugar. The little bit of Cream Cheese mixture adds a bit of acidity and tang to the otherwise warm spices used, and these muffins on a whole are completely balanced in the fact there is some dairy, some vegetable, and some carbohydrates. :) As this is essentially a quick bread recipe, I chose to use the remaining batter and other elements in a mini loaf of Pumpkin Bread instead of baking 18 muffins total. Both the bread and the muffins are just a bit more special than an old fashioned Bran muffin, and with the addition of the different toppings, these little guys would be terrific additions to a special brunch or for Halloween morning

Two of my favorite things in the world are married together in this muffin, Pumpkin and Cream Cheese. It's a pretty terrific way to start off your day.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Streusel Caps

Author: Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 12 Muffins and 1 small Pumpkin Bread, or 18 Muffins

These muffins are a perfect little breakfast or mid-afternoon snack, and are quick and simple to throw together. I prepare each separate element in a separate bowl to streamline the process for myself. This also allows me to get all the dry ingredients prepped if I am waiting for the butter and cream cheese to soften, or if I want to set myself up for success of getting everything mixed together in the time it takes for the oven to preheat.

Since the Cream Cheese Filling is essentially a cousin to a cheesecake batter, I recommend storing these in the fridge if you have leftovers because there is egg in the filling as well as the Cream Cheese. Storing baked goods in the fridge usually make them just a touch more dense, so you can either let them come to room temperature before eating again, or you can live on the wild side and let them sit out for no longer for 72 hours. What I did, however, was freeze the muffins that I knew we were not immediately going to eat. Just take one out of the freezer and it will completely defrost within an hour and a half and it will be delicious - the texture was not affected at all.

I liked the options of either having a little pumpkin loaf or muffins, but if you want to just have the muffins, this recipe will yield 18 muffins. I have not tried to make a full size 9” bread loaf, but I think this would yield 2 smaller 9’ loafs. If you choose to make just a bread rather than the muffins, I’d start checking to see if it is done around the 50 minute mark due to the volume and density of the batter.

Ingredients

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

8 oz full fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese Block, softened
1 Egg
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar

For the Streusel Crumb Topping:

4 1/2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
5 Tbsp Granulated White Sugar
3/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Tsp Sea Salt
3 Tbsp Butter, room softened

For the Pumpkin Muffin Batter:

2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 Tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
2 Cups Granulated White Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/3 Cups Pureed Pumpkin, NOT pumpkin Pie Filling
1/3 Cup Canola Oil (or other flavorless oil)
2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Additional Ingredients

Turbinado Sugar, for Sprinkling

Directions

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

*Note* Make sure the Cream Cheese block is completely room temperature before proceeding with this recipe, as it is very difficult to thoroughly integrate the ingredients properly without lumps otherwise.

In a medium bowl, cream together the Cream Cheese, egg, Vanilla Extract, and Brown Sugar. I did this by hand, with a spatula, and the mixture ends up being a bit loose, sort of like a pancake batter with a bit of air incorporated.
If using a Stand Mixer, use the paddle attachment on medium speed, scraping down the bowl when necessary.
If using Handheld Beaters, use medium speed to thoroughly meld the ingredients together.
Set mixture aside.

For the Streusel Crumb Topping:

In a small bowl, whisk together the Flour, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Salt.
Add the softened Butter into the bowl, and with your fingers gently work the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture will feel like lightly damp sand when everything is incorporated.
Set mixture aside.

For the Pumpkin Muffins/Bread:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and line a 8”x10” bread tin with parchment paper and grease both parchment paper and bread tin as well. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the Flour, Baking Powder, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Cloves, Ground Ginger, and Salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the Sugar, Eggs, Pumpkin, Canola Oil, and Vanilla until everything is thoroughly incorporated and smooth.
Take the dry ingredients and add them to the wet ingredients. Gently fold the flour in with a spatula, taking care to not overwork the batter.
Spoon pumpkin batter into the muffin tins, taking care to fill each cup about halfway. This should use up about 2/3 of the batter.
Carefully spoon into the center of the muffin cups about 1 Tbsp of the Cream Cheese Filling. This should fill the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full. There should be a little less than 1/3 of the Cream Cheese Filling left.
Top the muffins with Streusel Crumb mixture fairly generously. There should be roughly 1/3 of the mixture left over.
Sprinkle some Turbinado Sugar on the tops of the muffins for added crunch.
In the prepared bread tin, evenly smooth the remaining Pumpkin batter into then top with the Cream Cheese Filling. Gently swirl the two together, then top with the remainder of the Streusel Crumb mixture and finish with a sprinkle of Turbinado Sugar.
Place both the muffins and the bread tin into the oven. Muffins will be done after 20 minutes, and a toothpick will come out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then gently move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
The bread will thoroughly bake through after about 35 minutes, and a toothpick will come out clean when inserted into the center of the bread. Let the bread cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then use the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.