Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins
Can you think of a better way to start your day than with a decadent chocolate muffin with ribbons of cream cheese running through it? These chocolate cream cheese muffins are cupcakes in disguise, and are perfect for snacks or desserts, too.
Servings: 20
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (see note)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- ⅔ cup milk (2% works fine)
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the filling:
- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature (reduced fat cream cheese works well)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
Topping:
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper liners. Line 8 wells of a second cupcake pan with liners (20 total).
- To make muffin batter: In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until smooth.½ cup unsalted butter, softened, ⅔ cup packed brown sugar, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ⅔ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) in another bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, alternating between the two.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional, ⅔ cup milk
- Stir in the mini chocolate chips by hand. Set the batter aside.1 cup mini chocolate chips
- To make cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg
- Place one spoonful of the muffin batter in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Spoon the filling evenly over the top of the batter in the liners. Top each muffin with the rest of the muffin batter.
- Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with mini chocolate chips. If you prefer, this step can be omitted.¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- Bake the muffins for 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Flour: I usually make these muffins with 1 cup whole wheat flour replacing 1 cup all-purpose flour (2 cups total). You could replace all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat but it would change the texture of the muffins. White whole wheat flour works well, too.
- Nutrition: The information was calculated using all-purpose flour, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 2% milk, and reduced fat cream cheese.
- Serving: The muffins can be served for breakfast but since they are really more like cupcakes, I prefer to serve them as a snack or dessert. They are nice for brunches and special occasions, too.
- Storage: Because the muffins have a cream cheese filling, they should be stored in the refrigerator. After they have been completely cooled, transfer them to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The muffins freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Based on a recipe from Cheesecake Love, ©2017, by Jocelyn Brubaker.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 203IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg
QR Code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.
*If you're viewing this on your phone, press and hold the QR code to open in your browser.