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! I love them so much that I even made Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins (which you will also have to try)!
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
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (62.5 g) confectioners' sugar
Muffins
- ½ package (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks / 170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (192 g) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) buttermilk, room temperature
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, cold
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (42 g) 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. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Gradually add sugar and beat until lighter and fluffier, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.
- Add in the vanilla.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined.
- With the mixer on low, add buttermilk. 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 or fork, combine the cold butter, flour, and confectioners' sugar. Make sure the butter is broken down and no larger than a pea when you are done.
Assembly
- Pour half the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup only halfway.
- Add 2-3 teaspoons of 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 evenly over each muffin and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes in the muffin tin before placing them on a wire rack.
Video
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.
Hello,
these looks delicious! But I can only buy the spreadable cream cheese here where I live, does that make a difference in this recipe? I have noticed it does in some others?
WHY CAN’T I COPY THESE TO MY SAVE ON FACEBOOK LIKE OTHER RECIPES SO I CAN WRITE THEM DOWN AT MY LEISURE?
What can I substitute for cake flour?
If White Lily brand flour is available in your area, it is a 1:1 substitute. Otherwise, for every cup of All Purpose flour called for in your recipe remove 2 tablespoons(example: for 3 cups of flour you would measure up a full 3 cups then remove 6 tablespoons) then triple sift the flour. It’s about aerating the flour which makes it lighter.
Should I fill the cup to the top or only 3/4 before baking?
Thèse muffins are mildly sweet and extremely tender. Very rich taste that will be gréât any time of day. Really a spécial recipe. They absolutely melt in your mouth. Enjoyed them so much.
They look delicious! My boyfriend is gluten intolerant, can I use almond flour?
Hi, Alivette! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. We have not tested this recipe using almond flour, but you could try it. Let us know how the muffins turn out. Have a great day!
Love all of your recipes. Been saving them all. Thank you for sharing it ❤️
I love your resipes.
I lov your Recipes too much
All Recipes Are perfect
Thanks
Regards..
Hi. I enjoy Amanda’s recipes, but ran into an issue in making her Cream Cheese Muffins. After baking, I felt they were rather heavy. I looked back to the recipe and found that there was no leavening, such as baking soda or baking powder. I know that eggs can act as a leaven, and I added them one at a time and beat well after incorporating. But it did not lighten the batter. If the recipe doesn’t call for leavening is that correct? And can you explain why it the muffins don’t use a leavening agent?