Cream Cheese Muffins are nothing short of perfection. With a cream cheese swirl and a crumb topping, I can almost guarantee that you will be hooked after one bite. The muffins are so moist, to begin with, adding the cream cheese in the center just brings them to a higher level. If you love these muffins, you have to try my Cream Cheese Sweet Bread and Cream Cheese Pound Cake!

Cream Cheese Muffins
I don’t think anyone will have trouble finishing one of these Cream Cheese Muffins. They are tender, creamy, and flavorful. There are 3 components to this recipe, the cream cheese filling, the muffin base, and the crumb topping. All essential when you are looking for the perfect muffin!

How to Store Muffins
There are a few ways to properly store muffins.
- Room Temperature: Because they are best enjoyed at room temperature, this is usually the recommended way to storing. I 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: These muffins have cream cheese in them so folks will naturally want to refrigerate, which is the right thing to do in this case. (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 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.

How to Reheat Frozen Muffins
Remove the muffin from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for a couple of hours.

More Muffin Recipes

Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
CREAM CHEESE SWIRL
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
MUFFINS
- ½ package (4-ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup (142 g or 1 ½ sticks) salted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (301 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (192 g) cake flour
- ⅛ cup (30 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, for dusting
CRUMB TOPPING
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cold
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
CREAM CHEESE SWIRL
- In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Set aside while you prepare the muffin batter.
MUFFINS
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add sugar gradually and beat until lighter and fluffier.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.
- Add in the vanilla.
- Add the flour all at once and mix until just combined.
- Add in buttermilk with mixer on low and mix until just incorporated.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and scrape with a rubber spatula to get every last bit of ingredient incorporated.
CRUMB TOPPING
- Using a food processor, fork, or your hands (I prefer clean hands), combine the cold butter, flour, and confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Make sure the butter is broken down and no larger than a pea when you are done.
ASSEMBLING CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS
- Pour half the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup only halfway.
- Add cream cheese swirl to each muffin cup, followed by using the rest of the muffin batter to fill each cup.
- Using a toothpick, swirl the batter and the cream cheese of each muffin together.
- Top with the crumb topping and bake for 23-26 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
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These turned out very good, even though I cut down to 2 eggs and 1/2 cup butter, it still made batter for 14 muffins. Added a tsp of baking powder and some salt to ensure a good rise since some folks said they were dense. Would make again!
Can these be made at 6200 ft?
Thanks
Katherine
Hi Katherine,
I love your recipes, thank you.
Could cruffins be made using flaky pastry instead of a dough. I’m unsure whether we can buy crescent roll or something similar in New Zealand.
Regards Julia
Can you make your own buttermilk? if so, what would you suggest?
https://iambaker.net/how-to-make-buttermilk/
Why is there no leavening or salt….& why so many eggs? Hope you enlighten me. Ty ty.
These muffins are delicious! They are best the next day. The easiest way to fill the muffin cups is with cookie dough scoops. Use a bigger one for the mix and a smaller one for the filling.