Sunshine In A Muffin

Ever see a recipe that looks good then someone else makes it and put their twist on it and it seems so much more enticing? That's what happened to me with this recipe. This recipe comes from two fantastic and talented bakers, Jane (Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal) and Lululu (lululu at home). Between their pictures and descriptions of this beautiful muffin (and my adoration of anything with strawberries and cream cheese) these muffins were bound to be whipped up in my kitchen at some point. I made these around Valentine's Day and they were just LOVE-ly. 

These muffins were awesome. I simplified the instructions just a bit and added orange zest to brighten up my muffin batter. Strawberries and oranges are just so summery to me- I love that combo even more than strawberries and lemon. You get that same vibrant punch from the zest but it's much more aromatic and not as tart.

I think I liked these so much because they were so.....creamy. I'd describe the muffin to you, but Jane said it best when she said the cream cheese center "just barely evokes the flavor of cheesecake, and it's subtle enough so that it doesn't make the muffins too rich, nor does it make you feel like you're eating something that belongs on a dessert cart. It also doesn't firm up into a thickened streak within the muffin, but melds nicely into the batter itself, augmenting the moistness of the muffin's soft interior." Well said my friend. Well said. 

Strawberry-Orange Cream Cheese Muffins 

adapted from Jane's Baking Journal and lululu at home

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Cream Cheese Mixture: 

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Muffins:

• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. 

For The Cream Cheese Mixture: In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

For The Muffins: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, orange zest, vanilla and eggs until incorporated.

Using a spatula, stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined but do not overmix.

Spoon  the batter into the prepared tins, filling them no more than 1/2 full.

Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top of each one.

Top the strawberries with a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture, a tablespoon more of muffin batter, and finally a few more pieces of strawberry.

Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes, until they’re light golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing them to a rack to cool. 

Makes about 15 muffins.

Lemons, Limes and Oranges. Oh My!

I made these a few weeks ago and I forgot to share them. Forgive me. I got wrapped up in Hayden's birthday extravaganza that they got lost in the shuffle. I realize Fall is officially upon us but when you have a dessert with this much citrus zest, you just have to share them. Am I right? Besides you have all season long to bake with apples, pumpkins and comforting spices, so today it's all about lemons, limes and oranges. Hooray!

I got this recipe from my friend Memoria of Mangio da Sola. She made these over two years ago and they've been in the back of my mind ever since (Hi Memoria! We miss you!). I love key lime pie and could eat a whole pie by myself, as embarrassing as that is to admit. While I was pregnant with Hayden, I craved it all the time so I was pleased to discover that these bars were very similar. But these are a little different because they have a touch of cream cheese in them that makes these a bit more like cheesecake. 

Busted! Someone discovered toilet paper roll!

Part key lime pie, part cheesecake bar, all goodness. They were creamy, tart, tangy and loaded with flavorful citrus zest atop a buttery golden crust. I misread the directions and baked them in a 9x13-inch pan instead of a square dish so mine were thinner than expected but still great. If you want a thicker, taller bar to sink your teeth into just use a smaller pan. Either way, they're sure to satisfy. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us Memoria. I hope you're enjoying Italy! 

Triple Citrus Bars adapted from Mangio da Sola via Cook's Illustrated

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Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar 

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

pinch of salt

Filling:

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest 

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest

1 14-oz can of condensed milk

1 egg yolk, room temperature

6 Tbsp lime juice 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

2 Tbsp orange juice 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8x8-inch pan (for thicker bars) or a 9x13-inch pan (for thinner bars) and set aside. 

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt. Drizzle butter over crumbs and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

To make the filling: While the crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese with the lemon, orange and limes zests with a rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add juices and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

To assemble and bake: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

Cut into squares and serve chilled. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.