Berries & Cream Cheese Muffins

February 3, 2023

I recently found myself in the middle of a serious discussion: what is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? While everyone were making some good points, I personally believe that the difference is frosting.

Cupcakes are frosted and muffins are not. That sounds good to you, right?

The ingredients are very similar, the process is the same and they are both baked in the same tin. Oh and I will say yes to both every time they are offered to me. I am a huge fan.

Well these berries and cream cheese muffins would successfully fit into both categories. That is, if you do not subscribe to my frosting theory… because they are absolutely fabulous and would make you happy whether you had your heart set on a cupcake or a muffin.

They are light and airy, packed full of berries, perfectly sweet and super moist with a buttery crumble top and a little drizzle of lemony goodness over that. They are everything you would want from a cupcake or a muffin and you will not even think about frosting after your first bite… promise.

Let’s get started…

Begin by creaming together 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar using an electric hand mixer. Once they are fully combined, add 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup of sour cream and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix until everything is incorporated.

Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and use a silicone spatula to mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

Toss in 1 1/3 cups of fresh or frozen berries and a heaping teaspoon of fresh lemon zest and gently mix to evenly distribute the berries.

Notes: If you are using frozen berries, do not let them thaw, toss them in frozen and feel free to use all of your favorite berries. I am using diced strawberries, halved blackberries and raspberries and whole blueberries.

In a separate bowl, cream together 6 ounces of softened cream cheese, an egg yolk, 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. This mixture will melt into the batter as the muffins back, so you are looking for a looser consistency than a cheesecake filling would be.

Last, but not least, we will make the crumble topping by combining 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 cup of all purpose flour and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Once everything is evenly distributed, add 6 tablespoons of softened or semi-melted butter and mix until you have a large crumble texture.

Now that all three elements have been prepared, it is time to assemble our muffins. This recipe makes about 14 muffins and the reason I say “about 14” is that I have successfully crammed all of the batter into 12 muffins, but they do rise up and over the liners creating a bit of a messy looking muffin. If you do not want to either use 2 separate muffin tins or wait to bake the extra 2 muffins until after the first 12 have been baked, I would suggest adding the leftover batter and cream cheese filling into a mini muffin tin. That little loaf will be amazing… trust me…

The first step is to add a heaping tablespoon of the fruit filled batter in the bottom of your lined cupcake tins.

Next, add a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. It is absolute fine if your cream cheese mixture is loose, as it is meant to incorporate with the batter as these muffins bake. This recipe makes 14 muffins, so you can divide the cream cheese mixture evenly throughout, which will be just about a tablespoon per muffin.

Add another tablespoon or so of the fruit filled batter into each tin, which should just about fill each one up. I also like to press a few berries into the top, so a little color peaks through each muffin top, but this is absolutely optional.

Add your crumble topping and gently press it into the batter, so it doesn’t fall off as the muffins rise.

Start by baking the muffins in an oven preheated to 425 degrees. Set a timer for 5 minutes and once the 5 minutes have elapsed, reduce the ovens heat to 350 degrees keeping the oven door closed. Bake for an additional 16-18 minutes for a total baking time of 21-23 minutes.

Starting the muffins in a hotter oven helps to kickstart the rising process and then reducing the heat with the oven door closed allows the oven temperature to slowly reduce preventing the muffins from over baking on the outside and remaining raw in the middle.

Once a toothpick comes out of the middle of the muffins clean, transfer the muffin tin onto a cooling rack and let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them directly onto the cooling rack.

If you want to dress these babies up, you can give them a little drizzle of a sweet lemon glaze before you dig in…

The lemon glaze is optional, but it adds a brightness, tanginess and inviting appearance to these incredibly delicious muffins.

There are several different things that I love about these muffins…

- - The cream cheese filling incorporates into the batter as they bake creating a super moist, beautifully light texture that you will love!
  - The berries add little pops of their natural sweetness and just the right amount of tartness to balance everything out in a delicious way.
  - The crumble topping adds a sweet, buttery coating that gives these muffins that bakery feel.
  - Last, but not least, the simple lemon glaze adds a bright layer of citrusy tang that finishes these muffins off in the perfect way.

If you love super flavorful, moist bakery style muffins then you are going to love these berries and cream cheese muffins. Each layer is well worth the mixing bowl and they all come together in a very delicious way.

Enjoy!!

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