Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins are moist and tender muffins with cream cheese and a burst of tartness from cranberries with a crumbly streusel topping. They would be perfect for breakfast or as a delightful snack with a cup of coffee or tea. I also have Cranberry Orange Muffins that you will love!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter: Using unsalted butter in both the muffin batter and streusel topping lets you control the amount of salt in the recipe. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt added.
Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is blended with the butter to help create a super soft and moist muffin.
Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries can be added to the batter. They give a burst of tartness as well as a vibrant color! You could use dried cranberries in a pinch if that is what you have on hand.
Streusel: The streusel topping adds a lovely crunch to each bite.
Can I Make The Muffins Without The Streusel?
Sure, you can certainly make cranberry cream cheese muffins without the streusel. Simply follow the directions (but without topping the muffins with streusel) and bake as instructed. We tried them without the streusel and everyone loved them that way, too!
How To Store Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins
There are a few ways to store muffins:
- Room Temperature: Because they are best enjoyed at room temperature, this is usually the recommended way to store muffins. Use a larger sealable plastic bag or an airtight container to store the muffins in a single layer. Some folks recommend adding a piece of paper towel to the bottom so that it will soak up any condensation. If your muffins are properly cooled before storing, this may not be necessary. However, if I am using an airtight container, I will often add a piece of bread to the container, torn in half, and fit in between the muffins. The bread will soak up moisture as well. Best enjoyed within 2-3 days.
- Refrigerator: (Refrigeration, in general, dries out baked goods faster so a typical muffin recipe shouldn’t be refrigerated.) Place in a sealable plastic bag or airtight container and then place into the refrigerator. They should keep for up to 5 days. To reheat, remove from refrigerator and pop into the microwave for 10 seconds or just allow muffin to come to room temperature naturally, about 15 minutes.
- Freezer: Place cooled muffins into a freezer-safe sealable plastic bag or a freezer-safe airtight container and pack as closely as possible without crushing. Remove as much air as possible. Label with date and recipe name. They will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (200 g) fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
Streusel
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with muffin liners. (This recipe makes 18 muffins.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese together.
- Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the vanilla and mix to combine.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Gently fold in cranberries.
- Fill each muffin tin to the top of the liner with the muffin batter.
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and salt.
- Add the melted butter to the flour mixture. Mix with a fork until the mixture is combined.
- Add about a tablespoon of streusel topping to each muffin.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes in the muffin tin before removing them and transferring to a wire rack.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These muffins are so moist and tender, and so delicious! The cranberries are perfectly tart and the streusel adds a sweet little crunch at the end.
Elizabeth
I really enjoyed these muffins, even without the streusel topping! Super moist and delicious, perfect when fresh cranberries are in season!
Rachael
A delightful tender muffin with that amazing tartness of cranberries, this is a fantastic muffin for any time!
Bella
This is probably one of my favorite muffins that I've tried here! They are incredibly moist and soft. The cranberries are beautifully tart and balance well with the rest of the muffin. The streusel on this is just perfection. It adds a nice airy crunch!
Annabelle
These muffins are tender, moist, and complemented very well by the tangy cranberries!
Selena
I really enjoyed these muffins! Super moist and tender and the streusel provides a really great crunch.
