*This post used to use a recipe widget that has since expired on the blog. To find my favorite recipe for copy-cat Starbucks pumpkin cheesecake muffins, follow this link to Half Baked Harvest. This recipe uses candied ginger as the topping, but I still prefer candied pumpkin seeds (I find mine at Trader Joe’s). Enjoy!

Nothing quite screams fall like pumpkin everything. Am I right, or am I right?

When I first wrote this blog post years ago, Starbucks was one of the only places that carried pumpkin spice anything. Now-a-days, you can find pumpkin spice everywhere you look during the fall months (and even into the end of summer).

I absolutely love pumpkin and squash anything… dessert or not. But one of my favorite treats are these pumpkin muffins. They are so yummy. Fresh out of the oven (or microwaved the next day), they are gooey with cream cheese filling and crunchy with candied pepitas. The pumpkin flavor comes through in the most fall-tastic (????) way. Ah… I need to make a batch asap.

*Mouth waters*

Take these muffins with you in the morning for a yummy breakfast or eat them as a just-because snack. They are yummy at any time of day!

If you’re a seasoned Starbucks go-er, you know these pumpkin muffins just came back out today after a hibernation all spring and summer long. This copy-cat recipe is even better (because it’s homemade) and I can guess (a’hem, I know) it uses a lot more better-for-you ingredients too, without sacrificing delicious flavor. Win win.

Starbucks describes them as a “pumpkin muffin with crunchy, candied pumpkin seeds and cream cheese filling. A sensual delight of textures, a slow indulgence, best enjoyed with a good book and a warm drink to keep it company.” And gosh, I couldn’t agree more!