Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

I love making muffins for breakfast and brunch. There are so many ways to make them, both sweet and savory. I had a bunch of frozen mixed berries in my freezer, thinking I'd do something healthy for the New Year and make smoothies, but my craving for muffins got the best of me, so I decided to use some of the berries in these muffins.

I found this recipe on FiveHeartHome.com after doing a search on Pinterest. This sounded just like what I wanted to make, and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to go for it. The recipe says it makes 18 muffins. I did get 18 cream cheese-filled muffins, but there was enough batter left to make an additional 6 muffins. This way my family can decide which way they like them best, although I'm always in favor of a little cream cheese filling. Pour yourself a glass of cold milk and enjoy!

Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 good vanilla
2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, don't thaw)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Work in the softened butter with a pastry blender or fork until the butter is in tiny bits and the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Blend in the eggs, milk and vanilla until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, but do not overmix. Gently fold in the berries.

In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and the 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth and blended.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the berry batter in the bottom of the muffin cups, adding just enough to cover the bottom. Add about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture to the center of each muffin cup. Top the cream cheese with another tablespoon of the berry batter, evenly dividing the batter between the muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins test done with a toothpick. Remove muffins from pans, and cook on a wire rack.

Yield: Approximately 18 muffins