Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

• servings: MAKES 12 MUFFINS
• total time: PREP TIME 45 MINUTES COO

Ingredients

FOR THE CHEESECAKE SWIRL

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE STREUSEL

⅔ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE MUFFINS

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons full-fat sour cream (plain Greek yogurt also works)

6 tablespoons buttermilk (get my homemade version on page 28)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups quartered fresh strawberries

⅓ cup strawberry preserves

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the muffin cups of a standard muffin tin with muffin liners, then spray the muffin liners and the top of the tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2 First, make the cheesecake swirl. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese, egg yolk, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside.

3 Next, make the streusel. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and use a fork or your fingers to stir everything together until it resembles wet sand and clumps together. Set aside.

4 Then, make the muffins. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and granulated sugar until combined. Add the eggs, sour cream (or yogurt), buttermilk, and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined

5 Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a silicone spatula to fold until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Gently fold in the strawberries. Drop large spoonfuls of strawberry preserves into the batter and use the silicone spatula to fold the preserves into the batter once or twice, creating streaks of preserves. Do not overmix-you want the batter to be marbled.

6 Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling about three-quarters of each cup. If you want to get fancy, use a 3-ounce cookie scoop to create evenly domed scoops.

7 Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cheesecake mixture on top of each muffin, then use a toothpick, chopstick, or butter knife to drag the cheesecake through the muffin batter, creating a swirl. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping on top of each muffin, pressing it in gently with your fingers so it doesn't fall off when baked

8 Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and spring back to the touch, about 18 minutes more. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack and allow the muffins to cool slightly in the pan before serving