Cinnamon Sugar Muffins With a Cream Cheese Middle

Cream cheese filled cinnamon muffins are breakfast and dessert shaking hands. A cinnamon-scented batter wraps a sweet cream cheese pocket, and a cinnamon-sugar sprinkle on top makes them look bakery-case ready.

Pantry-friendly here means swaps are welcome. Amounts are still listed so you can cook without guessing.

Yield: 12 muffins · Time: 20 min · 18-20 min bake

Ingredients

Batter

• 2 cups flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Filling

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Topping

• 2 tbsp sugar + ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp melted butter for brushing

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Prep a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Whisk dry ingredients including the cinnamon. Mix wet ingredients, combine, and stop when you no longer see dry flour.
3. Beat cream cheese with sugar and vanilla for the filling. Layer batter, filling, batter in each cup. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake 16 to 20 minutes until a toothpick in the cake part comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the tin.

Use-what-you-have swaps

• Oil for butter in batter

Serve / store

Keep covered. Fridge after day one if your kitchen is warm. Rewarm for that fresh-baked soft center. If you are packing this for a party or school event, transport in a lidded container and add final toppings on site when you can. Note major allergens on a piece of tape on the lid when you are feeding a group.

Double the cinnamon sugar topping if your people fight over the crunchy lids. No judgment. Tip from our chaotic kitchen: read the ingredient list once before you start, preheat before you mix wet and dry, and set a timer even when you think you will remember. Taste as you go when the recipe allows it, and write a note on the recipe card if you changed a spice amount so next time is easier.

Photo/Image credit: Pexels via Pexels (Cinnamon muffins) (Pexels License (free to use))

Photo: Beautifully Chaotic Life (original illustrative image). Beautifully Chaotic Life created this image for the post.