Description
Delightful Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins featuring a creamy, sweet cream cheese center, fresh diced strawberries throughout the batter, and a buttery crumb topping. These moist and tender muffins are perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack, combining the richness of cream cheese with the fresh flavor of strawberries in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Muffin Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups diced fresh strawberries
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for tossing strawberries)
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by lining it with paper liners or lightly greasing each cup to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and creamy, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. This ensures an even distribution of leavening agents throughout the batter.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, beat together 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula or spoon until just combined; avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
- Prepare Strawberries: Toss the diced fresh strawberries in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour to lightly coat them. This helps prevent the strawberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins during baking. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter.
- Make Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. Mix until crumbs form a coarse topping.
- Assemble Muffins: Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling them halfway. Add a spoonful of the cream cheese filling on top of the batter in each cup, then cover with the remaining muffin batter to fill nearly to the top. Finally, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center (avoiding cream cheese filling) comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. This helps them set and prevents sogginess.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix the batter to keep the muffins light and fluffy.
- Tossing the strawberries in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- If fresh strawberries are unavailable, frozen strawberries can be used but do not thaw them before incorporating.
- The cream cheese filling adds a delicious surprise center—do not skip this step.
- Use fresh cream cheese and eggs for best texture and flavor.
- Ensure the butter for the crumb topping is melted but not hot to properly bind the topping ingredients.
