Soft Cream Cheese Muffins 

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🧾 Ingredients

🥣 Muffin Batter

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

🧀 Cream Cheese Filling

  • 200g (7 oz) cream cheese (softened)
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

✨ Optional Add-ins

  • Lemon zest (for freshness)
  • Chocolate chips
  • Blueberries

🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

🔹 Step 1: Preheat Oven

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease it.

🔹 Step 2: Prepare Cream Cheese Filling

In a bowl:

  • Beat cream cheese until smooth
  • Add sugar and vanilla
  • Mix until creamy

👉 Set aside. This will create that soft, rich center you see in the muffins.

🔹 Step 3: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl:

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt

Whisk everything evenly.

🔹 Step 4: Mix Wet Ingredients

In another bowl:

  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Oil (or butter)
  • Vanilla

Whisk until smooth.

🔹 Step 5: Combine Wet & Dry

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Mix gently until just combined.

⚠️ Do NOT overmix—this is key for soft muffins.

🔹 Step 6: Fill Muffin Cups

  • Add 1 spoon of batter
  • Add 1 spoon of cream cheese mixture in center
  • Cover with more batter

Fill each cup about ¾ full.

🔹 Step 7: Bake

Bake for:

  • 18–22 minutes

Until:

  • Tops are golden
  • Toothpick comes out mostly clean

🔹 Step 8: Cool

Let muffins cool in pan for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to rack.

🧁 Texture You’ll Get

  • Soft and fluffy inside
  • Slightly crispy golden top
  • Creamy center (like your image)
  • Moist and rich American-style muffin

💡 Pro Tips

✔ Don’t Overmix

Overmixing = dense muffins

Mix just until combined.

✔ Use Room Temperature Cream Cheese

This ensures a smooth filling (no lumps).

✔ Bake at High Temperature First

375°F helps create that domed muffin top like in your picture.

✔ Add Sugar on Top (Optional)

Sprinkle sugar before baking for a bakery-style finish.

🍋 Flavor Variations

Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

  • Add 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • Add 1 tbsp lemon juice

Chocolate Chip Version

  • Add ½ cup chocolate chips

Blueberry Version

  • Add 1 cup fresh blueberries

🇺🇸 Why This Is American Style

  • Sweet, rich batter
  • Soft crumb texture
  • Cream cheese filling (very popular in US bakeries)
  • Large muffin size with domed top

🧊 Storage

  • Room temp: 2 days
  • Fridge: 5 days
  • Freezer: up to 2 months

Reheat slightly before eating for best taste.

🍽️ Serving Ideas

  • Breakfast with coffee ☕
  • Snack anytime
  • Dessert with powdered sugar on top

🔥 Final Result

You’ll get muffins that are:

  • Golden and fluffy
  • Moist inside
  • Creamy in the center
  • Exactly like the ones in your image 👌

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