Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Instructions

Cream Cheese Filling

1. Combine the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until mostly smooth, wiping down the bowl and beater as needed. Transfer to a shallow, airtight container and freeze for 2-3 hours, until quite firm.

Roasted Strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place strawberries in a small baking dish (such as an 8″-9″ square) and toss with sugar to coat. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the berries have released their juices and the juices are bubbling. Transfer berries to a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl to allow juices to drain and berries to cool briefly. Reserve juices for muffin batter.

Crumble Topping

1. Whisk together the two types of flour, two types of sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the entire mixture is very finely crumbly. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Muffins

1. Reduce oven temperature to 400ºF. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and use a paper towel to wipe off any excess spray on the top of the pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt thoroughly. In a separate, large bowl, whisk the coconut oil and sugar together until well-combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until incorporated. Add the yogurt, reserved strawberry juices, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet batter. Fold together with a flexible rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are almost completely incorporated into the wet. Add the roasted strawberries and fold in just enough to disperse throughout the batter and get rid of any remaining pockets or streaks of flour.
4. Fill each muffin cup about 1/4-1/3 of the way full with muffin batter. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of chilled cream cheese filling into the center of each cup. Divide remaining muffin batter evenly among muffin cups, being sure to cover the cream cheese layer completely. Smooth tops of muffins briefly if needed. Top each muffin with a few extra piece of chopped strawberry and about 1 heaping teaspoon crumble topping.
5. Bake muffins in the preheated oven for 7 minutes, and then reduce heat to 375ºF and bake another 13-15 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one near the middle comes out free of batter. Allow muffins to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.