Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins. The blueberry season opens in 72 days, 9 hours, 54 minutes and 28 seconds here in the Northwest.

You know, either that or in about 2 1/2 months. I do believe, however, it is imperative to have a perfect blueberry muffin recipe for any day of the year.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Makes 24 regular muffins or 12 large muffins.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen)

Cream softened butter and sugar together in the mixer. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula and mix for a bit more.

If blueberries are frozen, place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix gently until they are all coated with the flour. Gently fold blueberries into the muffin batter.

For large muffins, place two ice cream scoops of batter in each muffin liner in a large muffin tin. This will make about 10 large muffins filled with cream cheese (or 8 without cream cheese filling).

If using a regular size muffin pan, use one ice cream scoop of batter per muffin liner. This will make 24 muffins (16 without cream cheese filling).

If you’d like to get really crazy, you can use a decorating bag (or a Ziploc with a corner cut off) to squirt this cream cheese filling into each muffin.

Cream Cheese Filling (optional)

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 – 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine filling ingredients and mix until smooth.

The cream cheese filling leftovers can be stored in the fridge and added to many delicious treats.

I like to finish the filling off with a little swirl on top.

And if you are completely out of control, you can sprinkle homemade streusel over the Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins.

Streusel (never optional)

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small egg

To make streusel, place ingredients into a food processor and pulse until they are well combined but don’t let the crumbles get bigger than about the size of peas. Watch closely. If you have leftovers, you can store them in a Ziploc in the freezer for next time.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Serve Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins warmed with a little butter or simply plain. Because, well, we wouldn’t want to get too carried away. Now there are only 72 days, 9 hours, 52 minutes, and 37 seconds until the next blueberry season opens.  Let’s have a muffin to celebrate.