Strawberry and Cream Muffins

It's Spring time in Texas which means two things. It's hot already and it's time for strawberries!! We love strawberries in our house. We go through pounds of them a week. I found this recipe a few days ago on Pinterest and I am so glad I made them! I'm making another batch tonight or tomorrow and by golly I'm taking a picture this time. Jeff and I both really like them, they were sort of work intensive but definitely worth it. I ate one for breakfast today, that makes 3 muffins in 12 hours... I'm not sure that's good for my hips but it sure is good for my taste buds.

NOT! my picture... I'm not that good of a photographer.
This is from Jane's Sweets.

Strawberry and Cream Muffins
by: Jane's Sweets

Makes about 12 to 14 regular size muffins, or about 6 jumbo muffins.

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk (or, you can use something like 2/3 cup 2 percent milk, and 1/3 cup half-and-half mixed together)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. almond extract

2 large eggs

2 cups AP flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup fresh ripe strawberries chopped into very small pieces (the redder and sweeter, the better!)

4 oz. full-fat cream cheese, very soft

1 and 1/2 Tbsp. of liquid from one whole egg, beaten lightly

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put paper liners in the cups of your muffin pan, or use nonstick baking spray liberally.

• Cut up your berries and set them aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together with a spoon the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. beaten egg, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Mix until almost all the lumps are gone. Set this aside, but don't chill it.
• Melt the butter slowly in a sauce pan on low heat. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the milk into the butter, stirring to combine. Cool until the mixture is just warm, then whisk in the eggs.
• Thoroughly combine with a whisk, in a large mixing bowl, the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour all of the butter and milk mixture into the dry ingredients, blending just until combined. Don't overmix. It's okay if a few little flour streaks are still evident.
• Using a portion scoop, fill each muffin cup barely half full.
• Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top of each one.
• Using a small spoon, dab a generous teaspoonful or so of the cream cheese mixture on top of the berries.
• On top of that, add on another tablespoon or two so of the muffin batter.
• On top of that, add a few more pieces of strawberry. Push them in just slightly. If they're well visible at this point, they'll still be visible after the muffins have baked.
• Sprinkle the tops of the unbaked muffins very generously with coarse sugar, which lends a nice sparkle, and adds a little crunch.
• Bake the muffins for about 15 to 18 minutes, until they're light golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. The middle of the cupcake should be kind of firm when lightly pressed with a finger. Check on the muffins early, and if they're browning too fast, lightly cover the pan with a sheet of foil.
• Let the muffins cool in the pan, on a rack, for a couple of minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan to cool on the rack.

 My notes

I have none. Shock, I know.