I’m so excited about this recipe with you today. It is officially my first fall recipe and I’m super pumped about cooking and baking all the things over the next few months. I also can’t believe were almost officially in fall. I’m sort of in denial.

I’m going to Verona, Italy on Tuesday and the weather looks still pretty
summer-y. I’m packing lots of summer dresses (that are lose because pasta!) and a few sneakers. I’m packing a camera and I plan on eating every pasta dish I come across. It should be both fun and educational.

Before I hit the road, I wanted to share a super fall recipe with you and I think this one is perfect. It’s super easy to throw together and the cream cheese topping is DELICIOUS. There’s a chance I just peeled off the top of the muffin and ate that all by itself. There were no regrets!

I also love how the swirl of the orange and white look—it’s so pretty.  The muffins are super fluffy and close to what a pumpkin cupcake would taste like but we’re gonna call them muffins so we can eat them before noon.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

A pretty swirl of all flavors fall creates these fluffy and ultra satisfying pumpkin cheesecake muffins. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• Cheesecake Topping:
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• Muffins Batter:
• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/3 cups white granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and egg yolk until smooth.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place muffin liners inside the muffin cups and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa nibs, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. To another medium bowl, add the pumpkin puree, sugar, vegetable oil and eggs; mix. Next, fold in the flour mixture until just combined, being sure not to over mix the batter.
5. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each one 3/4 of the way full.
6. Add a scant teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture to the tops of each of the muffins. Using a skewer or a knife, swirl it into the batter.
7. Transfer the muffins to the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are puffed, lightly golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the muffin’s center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Yield: Makes 12 muffins

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.