Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins (Printable)
Moist, citrusy muffins with a sweet cream cheese center and golden coarse sugar topping.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
06 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - ½ cup whole milk
08 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
09 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
10 - 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Cream Cheese Filling
12 - 6 oz cream cheese, softened
13 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
14 - 1 egg yolk
15 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
→ Topping
16 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease thoroughly with nonstick spray.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, milk, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.
04 - Gently fold wet ingredients into dry mixture using a spatula. Stir just until combined—small lumps are fine. Do not overmix or muffins will become tough.
05 - In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese with sugar, egg yolk, and lemon zest until completely smooth and creamy.
06 - Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup. Place a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center of each. Divide remaining batter over tops, filling cups about ¾ full.
07 - Sprinkle coarse sugar evenly over muffin tops if desired. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the edge (avoiding the cream cheese center) comes out clean.
08 - Let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- That moment when you break one open and warm cream cheese oozes out like edible sunshine
- They somehow taste even better on day two, if they last that long
02 -
- Insert your toothpick into the side of the muffin when testing doneness, not the center, or you'll think they're raw forever
- The cream cheese filling stays soft even after cooling completely—that's how it should be
03 -
- Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother, more evenly textured batter
- Zest your lemons before juicing them—it's nearly impossible to zest a juiced lemon