These raspberry cream cheese muffins are rich, tender, and packed with fresh summer raspberries. The cream cheese goes directly into the batter alongside butter, giving the muffins a silky texture and subtle richness that plain muffins don’t have. The raspberries stay bright and jammy throughout.
The recipe makes 16 muffins, which means plenty for the week ahead or the freezer.
A Stand or Hand Mixer Helps
This batter starts by creaming together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar, which works best with a stand mixer or hand mixer. A wooden spoon and some elbow grease will work in a pinch but the cream cheese needs to be thoroughly softened first to avoid lumps in the batter.
Moist & Fluffy
The batter for these muffins is silky and fluffy as are the cooked muffins. These are light in texture and so very full of simple raspberry flavor.
The moistness means they will keep well for several days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Optional Additions
The recipe is quite simple but lends itself well to highlighting the raspberries and making them the star of the muffin show.
However, to make even more muffins or change up the flavor some, consider adding:
- Chocolate chips (of any variety), up to 1 cup
- Chopped or slivered almonds, up to 1 cup
- Switch the vanilla extract for almond extract
- Some dried, ground spice of choice, up to 1 teaspoon
- Grated lemon zest, up to 1 Tablespoon
If you want a whole grain version, my raspberry spelt muffins use spelt flour for a heartier take on summer berries.
Topping Ideas
I quite liked these plain and in general try to keep muffins from becoming cupcakes but to switch it up a bit and make these sweeter for brunch buffets, try one of these topping ideas:
- Drizzle with a bit of melted chocolate
- Pour on some vanilla or lemon glaze
How to Serve
Keep it simple and serve alongside eggs and fresh fruit for breakfast or brunch. It’s quite lovely tucked inside lunch boxes for snacking as well.
Slather the muffins in some homemade raspberry honey butter for an extra special summer treat.
If you love baking with summer berries, my peach raspberry cornmeal muffins are another great option worth trying.
How to Store
Keep baked and cooled muffins in an airtight container where they should stay fresh for up to 4 days at room temperature.
The muffins freeze beautifully. Place cooled muffins into an airtight bag or container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw on the counter as needed.
Troubleshooting
The batter has lumps of cream cheese. The cream cheese must be fully softened to room temperature before creaming. Cold cream cheese won’t incorporate smoothly no matter how long you mix it. Leave it out on the counter for at least 30 minutes before starting.
The raspberries turned the batter pink. Fresh raspberries are delicate and break apart easily when folded into batter. Fold gently and stop as soon as the berries are distributed. A few streaks of pink in the batter are fine and won’t affect the finished muffin.
The muffins are dry. At 25 minutes these can overbake quickly. Start checking at 20 minutes. Pull them when the tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
The muffins stuck to the pan. Grease the muffin tin well or use paper liners. The cream cheese in the batter can cause sticking if the pan isn’t properly prepared. Run a knife around each cup after the 5 minute cool before removing.
The raspberries sank to the bottom. Toss the raspberries lightly in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in. This helps them stay suspended through the batter.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Rich, tender raspberry muffins made with cream cheese in the batter for extra moisture and a subtle richness.
Ingredients
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter, softened
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 2 Cups Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease muffin tins.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until lightly and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla.
- Beat together until completely mixed together.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk a bit at a time until everything is added and mixed into a smooth batter.
- Gently fold the raspberries into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full (divide among 16 cups).
- Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes or until golden and an inserted tester comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of muffins and remove to cool completely on wire racks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 4g
I try but cannot guarantee this nutritional information is 100% accurate.
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