Quinn’s Cream Cheese Muffins

Calling all cream cheese lovers! These Cream Cheese Muffins have cheese in the batter and in the center for a rich, creamy breakfast treat.

Cream Cheese Muffins With Pecan Topping

A few years ago, Quinn came up with this recipe as a special treat for me because I love, love, love all things cream cheese. Somehow, the recipe got buried among the countless recipes I’ve collected. Then, the other morning, I woke up to find that Quinn had not only unearthed the recipe but had the muffins baking in the oven.

These cream cheese muffins are a bit like cream-cheese-filled breakfast pastries, except they’re much easier to make. Sweetened cream cheese is added to the batter, giving it a tender crumb, and then a dollop is baked into the center of each muffin, too. Cream cheese is the dominant flavor here, but the pecans sprinkled on top add some nuttiness; they’re also a nice contrasting texture to the soft muffins and creamy filling.

With the holidays around the corner, I wanted to share this recipe again because it’s definitely fitting for a festive brunch or Christmas breakfast! You can even make the recipe in mini loaf pans, which is the perfect size for gifting to neighbors, family, and friends.

What You’ll Need

The ingredients for this recipe are simple and straightforward. You probably have a lot of them in your pantry already!

For the topping:

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter – Let the butter sit on the countertop until it’s softened.
• Pecans – Walnuts would work, too.

For the sweetened cream cheese:

• Cream cheese – Like the butter, the cream cheese should be at room temperature so it’s soft and easy to mix.
• Granulated sugar

For the muffins:

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Milk – I recommend using whole milk in baking because the extra fat yields a more tender crumb.
• Vegetable oil – Canola oil can be substituted.
• Eggs – Let them sit on the counter for a bit so they come to room temperature.

How to Make Cream Cheese Muffins

This recipe is great for beginning bakers; even though it’s easy to whip up, it tastes like it came from a bakery!

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with muffin liners.

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Make the topping. Combine the flour, sugar, butter, and nuts in a small bowl and mix with a fork or a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.

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Make the sweetened cream cheese. Beat the cream cheese and a cup of sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Refrigerate while you make the muffins.

Mix the dry muffin ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.

Mix the wet ingredients. In another mixing bowl, stir together the milk, oil, and eggs. 

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Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the well in the dry ingredients. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened, then fold half of the cream cheese mixture into the muffin batter.

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Assemble. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Spoon the remaining cream cheese mixture onto the batter, lightly pressing the filling into each muffin with the handle of a spoon. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the muffins.

Bake. Bake the muffins for 24 to 30 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them on the wire rack to finish cooling.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips and tricks for the best cream cheese muffins!

• Make it your own. This recipe is an easy one to customize. Add mini chocolate chips to the cream cheese filling, drizzle glaze over the tops of the muffins, or think of your own variation!
• A note about the cream cheese. I recommend baking with full-fat cream cheese blocks, not the whipped kind that comes in tubs. 
• Don’t overmix. As with all muffin recipes, it’s important not to overmix your batter. It’s better to have a few streaks of flour in there than stirring so much you end up with tough muffins!

How to Store

These cream cheese muffins need to be refrigerated; they’ll keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Yes, this recipe is great for freezing! Place the muffins in a freezer bag or airtight container and use them within 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before serving.

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