1cupsugar(200g) brown sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar - any kind of granulated sugar
1cuppumpkin puree(244g) not pumpkin pie filling
1/3cupoil(66g) any oil (I prefer olive oil)
1/2cupnondairy milk + 2 tablespoons(150mL) any vegan milk works
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
2tablespoonspumpkin seeds or oats for topping
Cream Cheese Filling
8ozvegan cream cheeseroom temperature
1/4cuppowdered sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick flour spray or rub with vegan butter, or line with muffin/cupcake liners.
In a bowl of a mixer or with a hand mixer on medium (or using a whisk), mix the sugar, pumpkin puree and oil together for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix together for another minute until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides.
Into the wet batter add in the sea salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and then sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda. You want to ensure your flour, baking powder and baking soda are free of clumps so I would recommend sifting them in with a sifter, sieve or a strainer.
Slowly mix together on low speed, then back to medium, until fully incorporated, for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Scoop the muffin batter (I use a large cookie scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring cup) equally into 10 muffin cups/holes.
Cream Cheese Filling
In a bowl add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and the vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer or with a hand mixer or with a whisk, throughly mix all the ingredients together on medium speed until it's all incorporated and fluffy for about 2 minutes.
Putting it Together and in Oven
Scoop the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag and cut about ⅓ inch wide hole out. Squeeze the cream cheese down all the way to the tip. To help scoop it into the bag I place my piping bag in a drinking glass to get it as wide open as possible then scoop it in a lot easier.
Place the tip of the piping bag into the centre of each muffin. Press down to squeeze, pulling up slowly until you reach the top of each muffin. Evenly distribute the batter throughout each muffin, about 1.5 tablespoons in each muffin. Don't place the bag into the bottom of the batter. When pulling out you can do a little dollop at the top or a swirl.
If you have any excess batter feel free to push the tip back into the centre of the muffin batter and squeeze some remainder throughout each.
Add your desired toppings on top of the muffins - I usually do 1 tablespoon oats and 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds/pepitas, (or 2 tablespoons of only pumpkin seeds or only oats) mix them, then sprinkle them over, pressing in slightly to the top and around the cream cheese hole.
Place water in the empty muffin cups. Don't skip this step! It ensures that the muffins bake evenly and rise beautifully
Add your muffins into the oven. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F/220°C, then leaving the muffins in the oven and not opening the door, reduce the temperature to 350°F/180°C degrees and bake for another 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Remove (I just use the same toothpick or a knife) and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Allowing the cupcakes to cool completely ensures
Notes
For the vegan cream cheese, I don't recommend miyokos for this (it gets grainy) but kite hill cream cheese works incredibly here
To store: Pumpkin cream cheese muffins will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
To freeze: You can freeze these muffins for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely before placing them in freezer-safe bags or containers. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or microwave on low power until warmed through.