Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins #MuffinMonday

These fluffy lemon cream cheese muffins are the perfect breakfast or teatime treat, with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the zippy lemon juice and lush cream cheese.

If you have only ever lived in one place, you might be amazed at the disparity of ingredients that exists from one country to the next. I’m not talking about specialty items either but things we completely take for granted in one place, that is unavailable in another.

When we were living in France, for example, I had no problems at all finding whole fat yogurt for our infant and toddler who, since they were younger than two years old still needed the milk fat for brain growth. Or so said the nutritional authorities at the time. But when we were on holiday visiting family in Houston, all the yogurt seemed to be low fat.

The reverse is true of firm cream cheese in blocks. They are standard in every American grocery store but many places overseas, for instance here in the Channels Islands, cream cheese comes in tubs and is whipped, completely unsuitable for recipes calling for normal cream cheese.

I get around these problems by having a shopping list for every country I travel to. In Malaysia, I buy crispy chili prawn paste, dried shrimp, good morning towels, Chinese sausage, curry powder and chili pork, just for a start.

In the US, there are many items on my list, which includes but is not limited to smoked sausage, dried black beans, Jif peanut butter, microwave popcorn, Crystal Light lemonade mix, Aunt Jemima Butter Light syrup, Karo, pecans and Crisco. You get the idea.

Recently we took the ferry to France and the shopping list was long! Wine, cheese, duck confit and saucisson, of course, but also practical things like rubbing alcohol, concrete nails and our favorite mayonnaise by Lesieur. Also on the list was cream cheese in blocks! Just so I could make these muffins.

What do you haul home from your travels, whether abroad or from another city or county close by? Extra points if it’s an ingredient I’ll then feel the need to add to my shopping list!

Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

Fresh lemon juice and zest are preferable but if all you’ve got is lemon juice in a bottle, make these muffins anyway. They’ll still be delightful.

Ingredients
2/3 cup or 132g sugar
Zest 1 lemon
2 cups or 250g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1/4 cup or 60ml fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
5 1/3 oz or 150g cream cheese

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by lightly brushing it with oil or lining it with silicone muffin cups.  When I am baking with cheese, I find it’s best not to use paper muffin liners because the cheese can stick to it. If you have a non-stick muffin pan, that would be ideal.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your sugar and lemon zest. Set aside a rounded tablespoon of the lemon sugar for topping.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the sugar bowl and mix thoroughly.

In another smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, lemon juice and eggs.

Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add them to the flour mixture. Stir gently to coat the cubes so they don’t stick together.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ones and fold until just combined. A little flour might still show.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups and top with the reserved lemon zest sugar.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes in the pan then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Check out all the delicious muffins my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today:

• Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Peach Zucchini Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Morning Glory Muffins from Passion Kneaded

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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