Strawberries and Cream Cheese Muffins

These muffins are packed with fresh strawberries and are hiding a delicious cream cheese surprise!

Gah…I am obsessed with fruit these days. I have been channeling my obsession by putting fruit into everything. Smoothies, coffee cake, happy hour cocktails, even salsa. You’ll see. There are many fruity posts to come. I hope you are on board with this addiction. Together, we can will get through it.

This one fruity idea was stuck in my head like a really great song. Strawberries and brie muffins. Over and over. The only way to get it out of my head, logically, was to make them. Alas, pregnant ladies are not supposed to eat unpasteurized cheese. So, this idea was re calibrated…and cream cheese makes a really great substitute.

I have to admit, I’ve never actually put a strawberry into any sort of baked good before, and I’m not sure why not. (At least, I can’t remember ever putting strawberries in baking before. If I am wrong, I plead pregnancy brain. I seem to be pleading that a lot these days.)

Anyway, the best thing about strawberries in baking is that you can use those ugly, over-ripe ones that get forgotten in the bottom of the plastic container after you’ve devoured the bright, pretty ones. Because it doesn’t matter what they look like, they all end up the same: soft, sweet, beautiful!

Close your eyes. Imagine biting into a moist, fluffy muffin with a burst of strawberry flavor, a hint of cinnamonny richness, and a tangy, smooth cream cheese finish. Wait. Maybe don’t close your eyes. It’s hard to read with your eyes closed. It’s equally difficult to eat with your eyes when they are closed.

These muffins are not super sweet. Therefore, in my eyes, they still qualify for the ‘muffin’ category. I’m not a huge fan of ‘muffin’ recipes that contain chocolate, or are covered with sugary streusel. Let’s call those what they really are: cupcakes.

For me, muffins are supposed to be mildly sweet, and are all about that light, fluffy texture. These muffins check both of those boxes.

I had one teeny tiny problem with them: waiting long enough for them to cool so that I didn’t burn my tongue on the scalding strawberries and cream cheese!

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Strawberries and Cream Cheese Muffins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

These muffins are packed with fresh strawberries and are hiding a delicious cream cheese surprise!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups strawberries cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup cream cheese approximately

Instructions

• Pre heat oven to 400 F.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat egg lightly, and mix with milk and oil. Form a well in the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients into the well. Mix with a spoon until just combined. Mix in the strawberries.
• Spoon muffin batter into muffin tray containing large muffin papers. Fill ¾ of the way. Add approximately one teaspoon of cream cheese on the top of each muffin, pressing so that it lies level with the top of the batter.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes