Jumbo Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese

You will love this easy recipe for Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese. They are lightly spiced and have raisins studded throughout and they are great with a cup of coffee or tall glass of milk.

this recipe!

you'll love this recipe!

Warm fall flavours are the star in this easy recipe. You need this recipe on your fall baking list!

If you're a pumpkin lover, be sure to check out our pumpkin biscotti and pumpkin bar recipes!

copycat tim horton's pumpkin spice muffins

Tim Horton's (that's a coffee and donut shop with addictive coffee) bring's out their Pumpkin Spice Muffin sometime around August every year. It is a seasonal item only and highly coveted.

When we lived in Hamilton, Ontario, it was part of my daily routine to stop and get a coffee on my way into work in the morning. When that big glorious photo of their Pumpkin Spice Muffin was blown up for all to see on the reader board, I couldn't resist them.

Their muffins had more of an icing that was sweet and was not a cream-cheesy filling like these these muffins from what I recall.

Although the filling is a bit different, the spices and texture are very much the same and they are delicious!

variations for toppings and icing

For the tops, you can lightly brush with maple syrup on the tops to give them a little sweetness and shine. Alternatively, you could use honey with a pinch of cinnamon mixed in and brush that on top.

This Cream Cheese Icing from the Moist Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Icing would also be delicious on these muffins.

As you can see in the photos, I sprinkled the tops with pumpkin seeds. A mixture of sunflower and pumpkin seeds is equally tasty.

flavour variations

• Pumpkin and chocolate mix together deliciously! For this variation, you would omit the cream cheese filling and add in ½ cup chocolate chips and ¼ cup of chopped pecans.
• substitute dried or fresh cranberries for the raisin for a different flavour combo.

step-by-step instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease six jumbo muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger together. Stir well to combine. Stir in raisins and mix just until combined, then set aside.

 In a small mixing bowl, beat egg until frothy.  

Add in the granulated sugar, oil and pumpkin, stirring to combine.

 Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just to moisten. (Batter will be lumpy). The secret to soft, fluffy muffins is to not over mix the batter.

In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix well to combine. 

 Fill large greased muffin cups with just enough muffin batter to cover the bottom. 

Place 1 and ½ to 2 tsp. of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of each muffin cup.

You can use a spoon to scoop it into the muffin cup, or use a plastic ziplock bag with a small hole cut at the bottom and squeeze it out. The second option is a bit less messy and more precise.

Fill remaining muffin tins with batter for top of muffins. Drop the batter by filling the left side first, then the right. This will keep the cream cheese filling in the centre of the muffin and not spilling out of the edges.

Don't worry if there's a bit of cream cheese poking out the top of the muffin.

Bake in 425°F oven for five minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness.

Cool in muffin tin for one minute, then transfer to wire rack and cool.

 While still warm, brush tops of muffins with maple syrup and scatter a few pumpkin seeds on top.

you might also enjoy these pumpkin recipes

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