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Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

Source: Found on Pinterest

These lemony muffins are loaded with sweet cream cheese filling and topped with irresistibly, crumbly streusel topping.
Mark loves everything lemon!

Ingredients

Streusel Crumb Topping

  • 1 c. unbleached all-purpose white flour
  • ¼ c. light brown sugar
  • ¼ c. white sugar
  • ¼ t. salt
  • 6 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 8 oz. low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ c. white sugar
  • 1 t. vanilla

Muffin Batter

  • 1 ½ c. unbleached all-purpose white flour
  • ¼ t. salt
  • ½ t. baking powder
  • ¼ t. baking soda
  • 1/3 c. unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ c. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tbls. lemon zest
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1 t. lemon extract
  • 2/3 c. plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice

Lemon Glaze

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1-1/2 t. to 2-1/2 t. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 12 count cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

Streusel Topping: Stir together flour, sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Add melted butter and whisk with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling: Mix softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla just to combine. Set aside.

Muffin Batter: Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt) and set aside.

In a large bowl mix softened butter and sugar for about 2 minutes at high speed. Add eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon extract; mix for 2 more minutes. Add Greek yogurt and lemon juice and mix just to combine. Running your mixer on low, mix in dry ingredients.

To assemble the muffins add 1 heaping tablespoon of muffin mixture in each cup. Drop 1 Tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in the center of each muffin. Cover cream cheese filling with muffin mixture, filling each cup about 3/4ths full. You'll have to carefully measure out ingredients so that all are evenly used.

Generously top each muffin with streusel crumbs.

Place in preheated oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the center has set.

Cool 5-10 minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins on a rack to glaze and cool completely.

Glaze: After muffins have been out of the oven for 5 minutes, start to prepare the glaze. Stir powdered sugar with lemon juice. Start with 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and gradually add more until desired consistency has reached. Drizzle over muffins and serve.

NOTE: Makes 12 muffins