Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Cream Cheese Filling: To a small bowl, add all the ingredients, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary; set aside. Tip - Make sure the cream cheese is very well softened to room temp to make this much faster and easier.

Pumpkin muffins: To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice**, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and whisk together; set aside.

To a separate large bowl add the sugars, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, molasses, vanilla, and whisk until combined.

Pour the wet pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.

Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, add enough batter to each prepared cavity of the muffin pan, in between 2/3 and 3/4-full. Don't exceed 3/4 full or muffins could overflow while baking. Divide batter evenly among the 12 cavities.

Place the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag or into a plastic bag and snip the very end tip off.

Pipe the cream cheese mixture into the center of each of the uncooked muffins, making sure just a little bit of the cream cheese is poking through on top. You aren't adding too much, 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons approximately per muffin.

Optionally, evenly sprinkle around the center of each unbaked muffin with pumpkin seeds or coarse sugar like decorator’s sugar or Sugar In The Raw.

Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the tops are no longer wet looking and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin next to the cream cheese filling comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.****

Allow the muffins to cool in pans for about 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.