Luscious Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

These tangy lemon cream cheese muffins blend zesty citrus with smooth creaminess in every tasty bite. The surprise cream cheese middle turns them into something way better than your run-of-the-mill muffins.

I came up with these muffins for a springtime get-together and they were gone in seconds. These days, my family asks for them at every gathering—my lemon-crazy niece swears they beat any cupcake hands down.

What You'll Need

• For the Muffins

• All purpose flour: builds the base of your muffins with just enough protein for a soft texture
• Granulated sugar: adds the sweetness that works against the lemon's tang
• Baking powder and baking soda: team up to make your muffins nice and fluffy
• Unsalted butter: brings moisture and richness so grab the good stuff for best taste
• Buttermilk: makes everything soft and kicks off the rising action mix milk with vinegar if you don't have the real thing
• Fresh lemon zest and juice: give that sunshine flavor always go for fresh lemons not the bottled stuff

• For the Cream Cheese Filling

• Full fat cream cheese: creates that gooey center make sure it's really soft for easy mixing
• Vanilla extract: brings out extra flavor dimensions stick with real extract not fake

• For the Lemon Glaze

• Powdered sugar: makes a silky topping without any sugar grains run it through a sifter to get rid of lumps
• Additional lemon juice and zest: pumps up the citrus kick in your finished treats

Making Your Muffins

Get Everything Ready:

Heat your oven to 350°F and put paper cups in your muffin pan. Setting up before you start helps things go smoothly. Grab all your stuff and measure it out first.

Combine Dry Stuff:

Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a big bowl. This spreads everything out so your muffins will have the same texture all around. Keep stirring for half a minute to mix it all up.

Mix Wet Stuff:

In another bowl, combine melted butter (a bit cooled), buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, lemon bits, and juice. The lemon zest works best if you rub it into the sugar with your fingers first to get more flavor.

Make Your Batter:

Dump the wet stuff into the dry stuff and fold it with a spatula until it just comes together. Look for thick batter with no flour spots, but stop as soon as it's mixed. Too much mixing makes tough muffins.

Fix Up Cream Cheese Filling:

Mix soft cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until it's smooth and a little fluffy. Room temp cream cheese is a must for no lumps. The mix should be easy to spoon but stay put when added to the batter.

Put Muffins Together:

Fill each cup halfway with batter, drop in a big spoonful of cream cheese mix, then top with more batter until cups are about three-quarters full. An ice cream scoop helps get the same amount in each cup.

Bake Them Up:

Stick them in the hot oven for 18 to 22 minutes until the tops look golden and bounce back when you poke them. A toothpick stuck near the edge should come out clean. The middle might seem a bit soft because of the cream cheese.

Let Cool and Add Glaze:

Let muffins sit in the pan for 5 minutes exactly, then move to a cooling rack. While they cool, mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and zest for the glaze. When muffins aren't hot anymore, drizzle the glaze on top.

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My favorite thing about making these muffins is scraping the lemon peel. That fresh citrus smell takes over my kitchen and always cheers me up. My little girl loves to help me cook these, standing on her little stool and carefully pouring glaze on each muffin with total focus.

Keeping Them Fresh

These muffins stay good on the counter in a sealed container for about 3 days. If you want them to last longer, put them in the fridge for up to a week, though they taste best in the first few days. To save them even longer, wrap each one in plastic, put them in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and warm up to room temp before eating for the best flavor.

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Swap-Out Options

For a better-for-you version, use half regular and half whole wheat pastry flour. You can try Neufchâtel cheese instead of regular cream cheese to cut some calories but keep that creamy texture. If you can't do dairy, go with plant butter, non-dairy milk mixed with a spoon of lemon juice instead of buttermilk, and vegan cream cheese. Adding a half cup of fresh blueberries to the batter works great with the lemon flavor too.

Ways to Enjoy

These muffins really stand out at weekend breakfast alongside some fresh fruit and hot coffee. For a dessert twist, warm them up a bit and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lemon sorbet. They go great with afternoon tea, especially something light like Earl Grey or chamomile. For fancy brunches, stack them on a tiered plate with other breakfast goodies and throw some fresh berries and mint around them.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ How do I stop the filling from sinking?

Make sure to spread a thick batter layer at the base and avoid mixing the batter too much, as that can mess up the texture and cause the filling to drop.

→ Can I swap fresh lemons with bottled juice?

For the best taste, fresh lemon juice and zest are ideal. If you're using bottled juice, pick a high-quality one with no added sugars.

→ What can replace buttermilk?

Don't have buttermilk? Mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes for a similar tangy effect.

→ How should I store them?

Keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze them for 3 months.

→ Can I leave out the glaze?

Of course! These muffins taste great even without the glaze, though the tangy sweetness adds a nice finishing touch.