Pumpkin Oreo Muffins with Cream Cheese

These moist pumpkin Oreo muffins have chunks of Oreos throughout and are capped off with a cream cheese topping. With warm spices and aroma of fall, they are perfect paired with a cup of coffee or latte for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

And so another round of shortages has begun! I’m not surprised that paper towels are flying off the shelves, but I never would have thought there would be a run on pumpkin puree! I went to three different locations before finding a handful at one store this past weekend.

Thank goodness! I can’t fully enjoy fall without pumpkin baked goods. These muffins are my latest and greatest. They have a solid stamp of approval from my taste testers. Even my husband, who would never pick up anything pumpkin of his own free will, was won over by these tasty sweets.

I’m telling you, these muffins are so good that I will be adding them to my yearly fall baking along with easy Pumpkin Cookies and the delectable Pumpkin Flan Cake with Maple Brown Butter Glaze. 

I am not even going to try to pass these beauties off as healthy food, but with over an ounce of pumpkin puree per muffin, this cheat food does have some redeeming qualities 🙂  

Did I mention that they are amazing?! They are super moist (sorry if the word makes you nauseated) and pumpkiny. Pumpkin pie spice provides the muffins with that quintessential autumnal flavor. There are chunks of Oreos within the muffins and some embedded within the cream cheese topping. The Oreos on top remain crunchy, providing a delicious textural contrast and an Oreo satisfaction moment.

Recipe Highlights:

• Make cream cheese topping: beat cream cheese and sugar. Add 2/3 of a beaten egg. Beat until smooth and creamy. Chill.

• Blend muffin dry ingredients (minus the Oreos) in a bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat sugars, oil, and eggs until light and frothy. 
• Beat in vanilla and pumpkin puree. 
• Blend in flour mixture. Mix to blend. Do not overmix the batter.

• Fill muffin pans with the following layers: batter, Oreo chunks, more matter, cream cheese topping, more Oreos.

• Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F. Lower the temperature. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes at room temperature. Remove muffins. Allow to cool completely.
• See the recipe card for detailed instructions.

Tips for well risen muffins:

• Use fresh leavening: old or expired leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda) become less effective in creating lift, resulting in flatter muffins.
• Whisk the dry ingredients: this ensures the leavening agents are distributed properly, resulting in an even rise throughout.
• Start baking at a high temp: bake 400° F for the first 5 minutes to jump-start the leavening to create a rise, then lower the temp to allow the center to bake through.
• Fill muffin pans to the top: typically, muffin pans are filled 1/2 – 3/4 full. Filling them to the top, in addition to the initial high baking temp, will ensure the batter rises instead of spreading over the pan. 

What is the best way to store the muffins?

Because of the cream cheese, store the muffins in the refrigerator. They keep well for up to one week. Since there is a lot of moisture (from the pumpkin puree), the exterior tend to become tacky as a result of the moisture seeping out. To prevent this, I use the paper towel trick. Place the muffins in an airtight container with a layer of paper towel at the bottom and a layer over the top. The paper towels will absorb the moisture, preventing the muffins from becoming soggy and sticky.

Can the muffins be frozen? 

Yes, they can! Place the muffins on a baking sheet then freeze for one hour or until frozen. Transfer to a freezer bag or a storage container and freeze for up to 2 months. As an extra measure to keep them fresh, I individually wrap the muffins in plastic wrap before placing them in the freezer.

To thaw, leave in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Or defrost at room temperature for at least 1 1/2 hours. Microwave for a few seconds before serving, optional.

If you read the recipe card, you’re going to wonder why in the world did I use almost all of a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree. Why not use the entire thing? That’s a good question AND I have a good answer!

My final tweak to the recipe involved reducing the amount of pumpkin puree and flour. The old version had 2 full cups of flour and an entire can of pumpkin. It yielded 14 muffins, which was inconvenient because I had to use an additional muffin tin to bake only 2 muffins. The final recipe makes 12 muffins with no need to dirty an additional pan. I got you covered 😉

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• 12-cup capacity muffin pan
• Handheld electric mixer
• Wire whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Cooling rack

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Pumpkin Oreo Muffins with Cream Cheese

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Oven Baked/Roasted Cuisine:American Courses:Dessert Recipe Keys: B Baking

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 20 minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:12 Servings

Description

These moist pumpkin Oreo muffins have chunks of Oreos throughout and are capped off with a cream cheese topping. With warm spices and aroma of fall, they are perfect paired with a cup of coffee or latte for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (from a 15-ounce can) pure pumpkin (puree)
• 20 Oreos, broken or cut into large chunks

For the cream cheese topping:

• 5 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 rounded tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 beaten egg, room temperature (only 2/3 of this will is needed for the recipe)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Place cupcake liners in a 12-cavity muffin pan.
2. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 2/3 of a beaten egg. Beat until smooth and creamy. Chill.
3. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
4. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, and eggs until light and frothy, for 2 minutes.
5. Add vanilla and pumpkin puree. Beat for one minute.
6. Add half of the flour mixture. Blend until half of it is incorporated. Add the remaining half. Mix to blend. Do not overmix the batter.
7. Fill the bottom 1/3 of the muffin pans with batter. Add about 3 Oreo chunks.
8. Fill muffin pans almost to the top with batter. Add about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture. Tuck in 3 to 4 Oreo chunks.
9. Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F. Lower the temperature to 350°F. Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 14-16 minutes.
10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes at room temperature. Remove muffins and place on a wire cooling rack to completely cool.
11. Store refrigerated in an airtight container, lined with paper towels underneath and above the muffins.
12. Makes 12 muffins.

Notes

• Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, or frozen for up to 2 months.
• To freeze, place on and freeze for one or until frozen. Transfer to an airtight storage container. Freeze. Wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap before placing them in the freezer, optional.
• Defrost muffins in the refrigerator for a few hours and up to overnight. Or leave them at room temperature for at least 1 1/2 hours. Microwave a few seconds before eating, optional.

Keywords:pumpkin muffins, Oreos, fall, cream cheese

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