These days, I bet all of you have tried your skills in the kitchen. Being at home, at least for me, means being hungry most of the time. However, I actually enjoy the time spent trying out new recipes.

Chef Pati Jinich, the host of the PBS series Pati’s Mexican Table and author of the cookbooks Pati’s Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking and Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens, explains that cooking is one of the best ways to relieve stress during difficult times like these:

“If you’re at home, cooking is a way to nurture yourself and learn things and stay active. It’s also therapeutic because when you’re following a recipe, you put your brain to work and you’re focusing on that instead of thinking about the other worries you may have.”

Andrea Kapner, a nutritionist and the founder of Tiny Turnips Kitchen agrees and points out that cooking and baking can be practiced as meditative techniques:

“When you’re baking or cooking, it can be a stress reliever. You’re really using all five of your senses, and when you’re using all five senses, you’re really present and in the moment.”

Cooking might also be a great opportunity to spend quality time with your kids or your partner. The recipe we share today is perfect as a romantic breakfast, a snack for your children, or a dessert for the entire family.

Who wouldn’t fall in love with muffins with delicious cream cheesecake filling and crunchy cinnamon streusel on top?

Can it get any better? A combination of our favorites: muffins and cheesecake!

As soon as the recipe was shared on the great blog „King Arthur Flour“, people went crazy about these muffins. Their mouth-watering cheesecake filling is a treat hidden in the center of the muffin and creates an impression that they simply melt in your mouth!

Moreover, the frosting is added in the middle instead of on top, so it is a kind of surprise that everyone adores!

Let’s waste no more time!

Carrot cake muffins with cheesecake fillings recipe

Ingredients:

For Carrot Cake Muffins:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots (about 2–3 medium carrots)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water

For the cream cheese filling:

• 10 ounce cream cheese-softened
• 1/4 cup+1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the streusel topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 /2 cup unsalted butter-melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:

• 1 Teaspoon milk
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

To make the streusel topping, in a medium bowl, mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup granulated sugar.  Add 1 /2 cup melted unsalted butter, and stir everything well with a fork.

In another bowl, beat together the ingredients for the cream cheese filling.

To make the muffins, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the water, eggs, and oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Fold in the grated carrots, and stir well.

Next, drop about 1 1/2-2 Tablespoons of the batter into each cup, spread well to cover the bottom, and place a heaping tablespoon of filling in each. Add more batter to cover and fill the cups 3/4 full.

Add the streusel topping on top, and bake for 20 minutes.

When done, remove the muffins from the oven, leave them aside to cool, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Mix 1 tablespoon milk with 1/4 cup powdered sugar to make the glaze, and drizzle over the muffins.

Serve them and enjoy the carrot cake muffins!

Sources:
www.rachelcooks.com -- Checked on 9/20/2020