I do believe I have found the best breakfast item ever. These muffins are carrot cake for breakfast. And the best part, the tasty surprise within: a melting pool of sweetened cream cheese filling.
The Viper Pilot loves carrot cake and the cream cheese filling makes it just the right amount of sweet for my sweet teeth. Who says you can’t have sweet for breakfast?
Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins
Filling:
- 1 (8 oz) package Neufchâtel cheese (or cream cheese)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Muffins:
- 2 1/4 cup unbleached white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup olive oil (I didn’t have vegetable oil)
- 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed (about 2 medium-large carrots)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups.
To make the filling: Place the cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar and flavor. Set aside. (I had to put a lid on it to prevent myself from eating it by the spoonful…)
To make the muffin batter: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine.
Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter using a tablespoon cookie scoop into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom.
Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling; a level tablespoon cookie scoop worked well for me.
Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within 1/4″ to 3/8″ of the top of each muffin cup. But don’t try to use all the batter; unless you have particularly deep cups, you’ll have about 1/3 cup batter left over. Bake it in a separate custard dish, if desired.
Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.
Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you’re able to handle them, transfer them to a cooling rack. If you serve the muffins warm, the filling will be molten. If you wait for them to cool, it will firm up.
Yield: 12 filled muffins plus 1 unfilled muffin
Enjoy!
Alison says
Those look awesome! I may have to try those soon!