Gourmet Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

• Servings Makes 12
• Time About 1 hour (bake 24–27 min at 375°F)

Ingredients

Streusel

• 1/3 cup (45g) raw pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp (25g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp (~1g) pumpkin pie spice
• pinch salt
• 2 Tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature

Cream cheese filling

• 6 oz (170g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp (5g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp (~1.5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp Morton)

Batter

• 2 large (~100g) eggs
• 1 1/2 cups packed (300g) light brown sugar
• 1 cup (245g) canned pumpkin purée (pure, not pie filling)
• 1/4 cup (54g) extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbsp (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup (60g) whole milk
• 1 Tbsp (6g) pumpkin pie spice
• 1 Tbsp (15g) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp (~4.5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 tsp Morton)
• 1 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp (6g) baking powder

Instructions

1. Streusel: Whisk pumpkin seeds, flour, brown sugar, spice, and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingers until pea-size lumps form. Chill until ready.
2. Filling: Vigorously whisk cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
3. Batter: Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, olive oil, melted butter, milk, spice, vanilla, and salt until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk flour and baking powder; fold dry into wet until just combined (lumpy is fine; do not overmix).
4. From here the house divides, in a friendly way. Use one of the two methods below, or bake a split batch and compare.

Method A, as written in the cookbook: divide the batter among the cups (they will be full). Pipe the filling from a piping bag or snipped zip-top bag into the center of each muffin, ending with a swirl on top. Sprinkle streusel over each, pressing gently to adhere, then bake as in the next step.

Method B, Joanna's preference: divide the batter among the cups, sprinkle on the streusel, and bake first. When the muffins are baked and still warm, add the cream cheese filling so it will not sink. They have also talked about piping the filling shallower, if you use Method A.

1. Bake 24–27 minutes, until streusel is crisp and muffins spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then move to a rack.

Levers and swaps

• Oil/fat: All butter — richest, more cake-like; Olive oil + butter (standard) — moist, fruity depth; Coconut oil — moist, subtle coconut flavor
• Filling: Cream cheese (standard) — tangy, denser; Mascarpone — silkier, milder, richer
• Streusel: Pumpkin seeds (standard) — light, savory crunch; Pecans — buttery, sweeter crunch; Omit — smooth tops, less sweet

From Travis's kitchen

This was the first recipe in Travis's cookbook project. It has a cream cheese filling, and the method is still a friendly family debate: the written method pipes the filling into the batter before baking, and Joanna thinks the filling should go in after baking so it will not sink. They have also talked about piping it shallower, or baking a split batch to compare.

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