Description

Enjoy soft, bakery-style Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins featuring a creamy cheesecake center bursting with juicy fresh strawberries and topped with a buttery crumb topping. These muffins are moist, flavorful, and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet snack. With simple ingredients and a quick 35-minute prep and cook time, they deliver a special homemade bakery experience with minimal effort.

Ingredients

Scale

Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Muffin Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups diced fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for tossing strawberries)

Crumb Topping

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Prepare Oven and Muffin Tin: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup. This ensures the muffins bake evenly and don’t stick.
Mix Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, combine softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, egg yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Set aside; the filling will be soft but creamy.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to ensure even leavening and flavor distribution.
Prepare Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the 2 eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until glossy and combined.
Incorporate Wet and Dry Mixtures: Pour wet ingredients into dry; stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix to avoid tough muffins. Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
Prepare Strawberries: Toss diced strawberries with 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins during baking.
Fold in Strawberries: Gently fold the floured strawberries into the batter for even distribution without breaking the fruit.
Make Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir in melted butter until mixture forms pea-sized crumbs.
Assemble Muffins: Spoon batter into each muffin cup filling halfway. Add about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese filling in the center. Cover with remaining batter to enclose the filling.
Top with Crumb: Generously sprinkle crumb topping over each filled muffin cup.
Bake: Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the muffin (avoiding the cream cheese center) comes out clean.
Cool: Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents sogginess and sets the crumb topping.

Notes

Tossing strawberries in flour helps keep them suspended and prevents sinking during baking.
For best flavor, use full-fat block cream cheese and fresh vanilla extract.
Do not overmix batter to keep muffins tender and fluffy.
If using frozen strawberries, thaw and drain excess moisture before flouring and folding into batter.
You can store cooled muffins at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.
Freeze muffins individually for convenient grab-and-go breakfasts; reheat briefly in the oven to restore crumb crispness.
The crumb topping is optional but adds delightful texture and sweetness.
These muffins are vegetarian-friendly and contain no meat or gelatin.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: strawberry muffins, cream cheese muffins, crumb topping muffins, breakfast muffins, bakery style muffins, easy muffin recipe, fruity muffins, homemade muffins, sweet snack