You will want to wake up for these yummy blueberry cream cheese muffins bursting with blueberries with sweet, tangy cream cheese filling and sparkling sugar crust.
Preheat your oven to 425°F/218°C (conventional) or 400 °F/200 °C (if using a fan oven) and line a 6-cup muffin pan with liners or grease with oil or butter, (double the recipe if using a 12-cup pan).
Dry ingredients: Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Cream cheese filling: Place the filling ingredients (vanilla, cream cheese, and sugar) in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and combined.
Wet ingredients: In another bowl, add the egg and the sugar and mix together with a whisk or electric mixer for a minute or until the mixture looks smooth and pale. Then add olive oil or vegetable oil, cream cheese (use ¾ scant cup; this means use slightly less than the required amount), vanilla extract, and milk and mix or beat until well combined.
Mix dry and wet ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula or a wooden spoon until just combined (do not overmix in this step). Finally, using a spatula, gently stir through the blueberries.
Filling: Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Layer with 1 heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center and spoon another heaping Tablespoon of batter on top. If the muffin tins are completely full, that’s okay. Repeat layering batter and cream cheese into each muffin cup.
For nice crispy tops, sprinkle the muffins with brown sugar, if desired.
Bake for 5 minutes, then keep the muffins in the oven; reduce the oven temperature to 360°F/182°C (conventional) or 350°F/175 (fan oven). Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total baking time should be about 15 minutes.
Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan before eating, or transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Muffins stay fresh and covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Cream cheese: I use soft cream cheese for this recipe (the spreadable sold in the tub), but I think this recipe would work with the block cream cheese as well. If you use the block, beat it well after adding an extra tablespoon of milk to the batter.
Storage: muffins may be kept in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 3 days and in the fridge for about a week. Alternatively, you can freeze them for 2-3 months
Nutrition facts:the nutrition values are for one portion and are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.