Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Muffins





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When it comes to fruit, despite all my plans and good intentions, I usually end up with more of it than I had planned to use. I'm not talking enormous overages, but I'm frequently done in by that odd unused cup that represents the type of waste I try to avoid. An extra cup of strawberries sent me on a search to find a recipe that would save them from the compost heap. My search led me to Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal where I found the precursor to the recipe I'm featuring today. I've made a few changes to the original recipe, but they are minor and were made only to give the muffins a deeper color. These are very simple to make and I know you will enjoy them, but I do have one caution to share with you. If appearance is important to you, don't overfill the muffin cups. I know it's a bother to prepare a second pan when you'll only be using 2 or 3 of its cups, but if you put too much batter into the cups of one pan, I guarantee they will overflow and you'll end up with flat-topped muffins. Please don't ask how I know that. It's part of the we grow too soon old and too late smart syndrome that sometimes afflicts me. If you are looking for a new breakfast muffin and have extra berries on hand, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here's how the muffins are made.

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal

Ingredients:
Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup golden brown sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped into very small pieces
Cream Cheese Mixture
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Grease regular-sized muffin tins or line with cupcake liners.
2) To make cream cheese mixture: Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix until ingredients are combined and smooth.
3) Combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
4) Combine milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and egg in another bowl and whisk until smooth.
5) Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, folding together until just combined. Do not overmix.
6) Spoon 2 scant tablespoons of batter into the prepared tins. Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top of each one. Top with a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture, then cover with 1 to 2 tablespoons of muffin batter and a few more pieces of strawberry. Do not over fill. Muffin cups should be no more than 2/3 full.
7) Bake muffins for about 25 minutes, until they’re a light brown on top and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Yield: 12 to 15 muffins.










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26 comments :

safire said...

This looks really yummy! I love the combination of strawberries and cream cheese!

Baking Addict said...

These sound delicious!! I love the combination of strawberries and cream cheese. Thanks for the tip on not overfilling the muffin case! I bought a giant sized american muffin pan so maybe I'll use that instead :)

Katarina said...

This is almost like a cheesecake muffin :) Love it, fresh strawberries are so delicious!

Lynn said...

Sounds like something I'd love... like now with my coffee:@)

Barbara said...

I'm like you, Mary. My fridge and countertops are over loaded with fruit right now. Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach, but I couldn't resist the peaches, cherries and blueberries. Thank heaven my daughter is coming for a visit...she can help me eat all of it. Your muffins are sure the answer to extra fruit...love that you've got whole wheat flour in them as well.
I hope you have a lovely holiday with lots of fireworks and decent weather!

Tanna said...

Oh, I wish I had one of these right now to go with my coffee!! ;) I love anything with cream cheese... and strawberries! blessings ~ tanna

Kim said...

I was looking for a new muffins recipe to bring with ourselves to the camping we are heading tomorrow, think I just found these! These are so pretty and look sooooooo good!

Unknown said...

Strawberries and cream cheese go so well together... and here they are all wrapped up in one nice yummy package!

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a prefectly baked muffins, looks absolutely stunning and incredible..

http://platanosmangoes.com said...

They look really good...I would take a dozen off your hands...

Jessica@AKitchenAddiction said...

Yum! I love strawberries and cream cheese together!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I have strawberries, now all I need is to make time:D

David said...

Mary, How can this miss!? There is nothing like a nice muffin for breakfast...and then you include fresh strawberries and cream cheese! Thanks for the recipe...and have a great July 4th! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Ellen B Cookery said...

I love the combination of strawberries and cream cheese together, whether that be on a piece of toast or in a muffin. I think what I like best here is that the muffin is not overly sweet. I certainly do prefer a fruit an cheese muffin to one with chocolate and nuts.

SImple and Serene Living said...

My mom, who is 87, still loves baking muffins. I think I will leave this recipe for her and see if I can get some fresh muffins :)

Suzie said...

I've been making a strawberry drink and these would go perfect with it. They are so pretty too :)

Diane said...

Mmmm they look so yummy. Have a good day Diane.

Dining Alone said...

I always have leftover fruit also, these look like a delicious way to use them up!!

KitchenKarma said...

Love the muffins...they look so moist and yum :-)

Susan..... said...

I'm right there with this, I just gave my last cup of blueberries to the resident groundhog, Mary (3 pups last year named Peter, Paul & Mary).
Have a great 4th!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

These have my husbands name written all over them.

Enjoy the 4th.

Joanne said...

Those muffins have the PERFECT tops! And I love the idea of mixing strawberries and cream cheese into them. Delicious!

Gloria Baker said...

loook so delicious!!

Donna Elick said...

These sound wonderful. I happen to have some left over raspberries that are looking for a use. This looks perfect.

Ana Regalado said...

That looks scrumptiously good ! Strawberries and cream cheese is match made in heaven ! lol

Veronica Miller said...

Love the idea of strawberries and cream cheese in a muffin. YUM! Happy 4th Mary!

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