Blueberry Muffins with optional Cream Cheese Filling

By MJH

These muffins with optional cream cheese filling are bursting with blueberry flavor! Best served warm out of the oven.

Ingredients

• Optional:
• 3 cups flour (all-purpose white flour OR whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Work in the softened butter with an electric mixer or fork. Blend in the eggs, milk, and vanilla until all ingredients are incorporated, but do not over beat.

Gently fold in the blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 full. You should get 16 to 18 muffins out of this batter. If desired, sprinkle the top of each muffin with coarse sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins just test done with a toothpick, taking care not to over bake.

Remove muffins from pans and cool on a wire rack, or eat warm out of the oven with a pat of salted butter.

Optional:

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, lemon zest, and sugar until smooth. Fill each muffin cup half way with batter.
Next, add about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese filling to each muffin cup. Cover each cup with remaining batter so you can't see the cream cheese filling.