Here’s a recipe that’s even more delicious than it sounds…these insanely tasty Strawberry Muffins with cream cheese swirl! Imagine: a muffin with a tender crumb: just sweet enough and delightfully moist. Then add a strawberry cream cheese topping, that coats everything in sweet savory richness. Our 4 year old Larson had the idea of making strawberry muffins (genius!), so we turned our favorite pumpkin muffin into a berry based one. Turns out, this one is even better than the original!
What’s great about these strawberry muffins
Some strawberry muffins have little chunks of strawberries in the batter, much like you would a blueberry muffin. But when we tried that type of strawberry muffin, the bits of berry made the batter soggy. Here’s what makes this strawberry muffin great:
The strawberries are incorporated in a cream cheese swirl. This way, the berries incorporate into a creamy topping, leaving the bottom portion of the muffin perfectly moist. Man, is it delicious!
The muffins are just sweet enough. Many muffins are glorified cupcakes: these are just sweet enough to be aptly called a muffin.
They’re moist from applesauce! Applesauce makes a perfectly moist cake portion of the muffin, without it being too buttery or oily.
How to make and swirl the cream cheese topping
These strawberry muffins are pretty straightforward: the only part that needs a little more explanation is the cream cheese swirl. Here’s what to know about this part of the recipe:
Dice the strawberries into small pieces. This helps the strawberries to integrate into the cream cheese — it will turn pink but still have strawberry chunks (this is intended!).
Place dollops of cream cheese on top of the muffin batter. Use a heaping 1 tablespoon.
Use a toothpick to swirl and push the cheese into the batter. Swirl it in so that it incorporates into the top portion of the muffin batter.
Storage info for strawberry muffins
Because there’s cream cheese on top, you’ll want to store these strawberry muffins in the refrigerator instead of at room temperature like other muffins. Here are a few pointers:
The muffins are the best the day of making. Wait after baking until they’re about room temperature, then devour. They taste incredible the day of.
Refrigerate for 5 days. Pop them into the fridge for storage. Remember to let them warm back to room temp for a minute or two before you enjoy them.
Do not freeze. The cream cheese topping doesn’t hold up well in the freezer, so we don’t recommend freezing here.
When to serve them!
These strawberry muffins are great for when you have a bunch of strawberries you don’t know what to do with. They’re absolutely perfect for entertaining, too! Here are a few ideas for how to pair them:
Serve them at a spring brunch with baked eggs and broiled asparagus
Bring them to an Easter pitch in (we did that, and got rave reviews!)
Make them for a cozy breakfast in with classic omelettes or fluffy scrambled eggs
More strawberry recipes
Love this popular berry? Us too! Here are some of our favorite ways to make strawberries into a tasty treat:
Classic Strawberry Crumble The only recipe you need! The big berry flavor and crunchy oat topping make a recipe you’ll bake up again and again.
Strawberry Shortcake Tender, biscuit-like shortcakes meet sweet berries and fluffy homemade whipped cream.
Strawberry Mimosa, Strawberry Sangria or Strawberry Margarita All the best strawberry drinks for any occasion.
Strawberry Waffles Start the day with tender waffles plus sweet strawberry sauce: yum.
This strawberry muffins recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Strawberry Muffins (with Cream Cheese Swirl!)
(8 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
4.8 from 8 reviews
Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Description
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled Old Fashioned oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup neutral oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup diced strawberries
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 12 muffin cups to a standard muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and cinnamon with the baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
In another bowl, combine the applesauce, neutral oil, and vanilla extract. Wait to add it to the dries until you’ve made the cream cheese topping.
Dice the strawberries into small pieces. Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or electric hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, sugar, and strawberries: beat them on medium speed until fully combined (the cheese will turn pink but still have chunks of strawberries).
Mix the wet ingredients (applesauce, oil and vanilla) into the bowl with the dry ingredients (flour, oats, etc.) and stir until a smooth batter forms.
Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups. Dollop a mounded tablespoon of strawberry cream cheese onto the center of each muffin. Then use a toothpick to swirl the cream cheese until it is smoothed onto the top and partially worked into the batter (see the photos).
Bake for about 25 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the muffin portion. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and place them on a cooling rack. Cool 1 hour until room temperature. Enjoy or refrigerate up to 1 week (these muffins do not freeze well).
Category: Muffins
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Muffins
Keywords: Strawberry muffins, strawberry muffins recipe
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @acouplecooks on Instagram and hashtag it #acouplecooks
A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes
#Recipe #Vegetarian #CreamCheese #Muffin #Recipes
