Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins
Melt-in-your-mouth Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins are bursting with your favorite juicy berries and swirled with a lightly sweet cream cheese filling!
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With Independence Day right around the corner, I'm in the mood to infuse my attire, my decor, and my menu with some good ol' red, white, and blue. And when it comes to culinary endeavors, what easier way to channel those vibrant hues than with some fresh, juicy berries?
A couple of weeks ago, I shared a scrumptious Chicken Berry Pasta Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, which would be perfect for any 4th of July shindig. So call me unoriginal, but today I'm replicating the red and blue berry theme with these yummy Mixed Berry Muffins!
Ingredients
I studded my muffins with triple berry power using raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, but feel free to include your favorites (or whatever type of berries you have on hand).
I also decided to make these muffins covertly wholesome by baking them up with whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose white flour. Both work great, so again, it's up to you what you prefer. However, my rockin' regular readers already know that I'm a big fan of whole wheat pastry flour when it comes to baking, because it's light in flavor and texture (akin to white flour) despite being 100% whole wheat. Can't beat that now, can ya? 😉
Cream Cheese Filling
So we've got the red and we've got the blue, but you may be wondering...where does the white come in? Never fear, my friends, because these muffins have it covered with a surprise swirl of cream cheese filling!
That's right...when you bite into one of these baked beauties, not only will your taste buds be greeted by luscious bursts of berry, but they'll also encounter a lightly sweet, delicately decadent filling of cream cheese deliciousness. Yep, it's the W in the RW&B...but it also takes these muffins up a notch or twelve.
Variations
Have I mentioned how easy these muffins are to throw together? I basically just jazzed up my favorite Classic Blueberry Muffin recipe. It’s such a simple, delicious recipe to begin with, and I make it year-round using fresh or frozen blueberries.
Similarly, these Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins are loaded with juicy berries of your choice, but the cheesecake-like center is a fun, tasty surprise.
And while you could certainly top these muffins with your favorite streusel or crumb topping, I decided to keep things simple with a sprinkling of crunchy sparkling sugar. You can’t beat easy, pretty, and sweet!
Red, white, and blue? I think I love you. And I love these Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins without a doubt!
Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour, all-purpose white flour OR whole wheat pastry flour OR half of each
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups mixed berries, such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries, fresh OR frozen
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- Sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Work in the softened butter with an electric mixer or fork, until butter is in tiny bits, similar to coarse sand. Blend in the eggs, milk, and vanilla until all ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Gently fold in the berries.
- In a small bowl, mix together softened cream cheese and 2 ½ tablespoons sugar until smooth and blended. Set aside.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of batter into each prepared muffin cup, adding just enough that the bottom of the muffin liner is covered. Add a small dollop (about a teaspoon) of cream cheese mixture to the center of each muffin cup. Top cream cheese with another spoonful of batter, evenly dividing the remaining batter between the muffin cups. If desired, sprinkle the top of each muffin with sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until muffins just test done with a toothpick, taking care not to overbake. Remove muffins from pans and cool on a wire rack, or eat warm out of the oven.
Notes
- I've had good results baking this recipe with both white flour and whole wheat pastry flour, or a combo of the two. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is 100% whole wheat, but it lends quick breads a lighter taste and texture, more akin to that achieved by using white flour.
- I always like to make sure that the eggs and milk are somewhat at room temperature so that they don't chill the butter and cause little lumps when I mix them in.
- If you use frozen berries, don't thaw them first....doing so will just make them all mushy.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally shared as a guest post at Simple As That.
I mixed the ingredients according to directions using 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups white self-rising flour. The dough was very sticky making it difficult to put into the paper cups and add the cream cheese mix. Other than that they came out tasty. Will use all white flour next time.
Got home early from work and my daughter and I threw them together in no time. Had berries in the fridge that were getting old. Soooo good had two right out of the oven. Will be making them again real soon.
I have made these muffins multiple times and they are amazing. I have made them for my family (everyone from our 1yr old to my husband love them) and I have given them as gifts (with rave reviews.) I used the recipe as written, and have done a variation with wheat flour and stevia sweetener blended with a portion of regular sugar. All of them came out great! They also freeze well. We enjoyed the last of the frozen batch I had this morning, so I’ll be baking more soon! Thanks for the great recipe- its become a staple here in our house!
Hi! Do you think this could be poured in a pan and cut into bars?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah! This batter would probably work as bars, and maybe you could dollop the cream cheese mixture on top and swirl it in with a knife? But since I haven't tried it myself, I can't say for sure. And unfortunately, I'm unable to recommend baking time adjustments. But please let us know how it turns out if you decide to give it a try! 🙂
These muffins are AMAZING! Just found my new “go-to” muffin recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
Can’t believe I forgot to comment, yikes. Had made these muffins more times than I can remember. They are amazing when still warm. Love the combination of cream cheese mixture and the berries. My fussy eater son actually loves these muffins, so a big thumbs up to you, Samantha!! One of my favourite muffin recipes : )
Not a fan.
Four adults and no one wanted seconds.
Sorry to hear that, Julie!
Wow! I made these muffins this morning and they are delicious!! I completely forgot the cream cheese mixture but they turned out so yummy anyway, I didn't even miss it. This is the first time I've baked with whole wheat pastry flour and I really like the consistency of the finished muffin. I am now going to go look at all your other muffin recipes. Thanks! ❤️
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed these and I hope you find some other muffin recipes to try. I love whole wheat pastry flour so a lot of my baking recipes on the site use it. 🙂
do you refrigerated the muffins, after you make them, love them taste great with all those berry
Hi Mary! I think these muffins can be left at room temperature for a couple of days. After that, I'd probably refrigerate them to keep them fresh. Hope that helps!
That looks sooo good! Definitely put me in the mood for a muffin. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love this time of year when it comes to yummy treats, filled with berries of all kind! I don't love this time of year when it comes to the weather. These look tasty, and festive! I love how you used cream cheese as the "white".
I totally agree, Joanna...but at least the fresh produce makes the heat wave a bit more tolerable. 😉 Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment..hope you're having a great week!