Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins (Printable Version)
Bright, moist muffins with a surprise cream cheese filling and fresh lemon zest throughout.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
06 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - ½ cup whole milk
08 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
09 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
10 - 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Cream Cheese Filling
12 - 6 oz cream cheese, softened
13 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
14 - 1 egg yolk
15 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
→ Topping
16 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease thoroughly.
02 - Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, milk, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated.
04 - Gently fold wet ingredients into dry mixture until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as flour disappears—batter should remain slightly lumpy.
05 - Blend softened cream cheese with sugar, egg yolk, and lemon zest in a small bowl until completely smooth and creamy.
06 - Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup. Place 1 heaping teaspoon cream cheese filling in center, then cover with remaining batter until cups are ¾ full.
07 - Sprinkle coarse sugar over muffin tops if desired. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted into edge (avoiding cream cheese center) comes out clean.
08 - Let muffins rest in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cream cheese center stays gooey and luscious even after cooling, creating this surprise bite that makes people pause and smile
- These muffins walk the perfect line between breakfast acceptable and dessert worthy, meaning no one judges you for eating two
02 -
- Insert your toothpick into the edge of the muffin, not the center, when testing for doneness. The cream cheese filling will always remain slightly soft and gooey.
- Room temperature ingredients make a huge difference in how smoothly the batter comes together. Cold eggs can cause the melted butter to solidify into tiny droplets.
03 -
- Zest your lemons before juicing them. Its much harder to zest a squeezed lemon, and you need both components for maximum flavor impact.
- If you want extra lemon punch, add a simple glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice once the muffins are completely cool.