Cherry Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Fresh Cherry Muffins filled with cream cheese are the BEST muffins for breakfast or brunch. There’s a cheesecake filling surrounded by a scrumptious oatmeal cherry muffin.

Cream cheese cherry muffins are going to be your new favorite breakfast muffin. They’re not over the top sweet like some breakfast muffins, but still a decadent treat.

I first made these muffins in the summer when I had a bag of cherries from the grocery. Sadly, we don’t have many cherry trees in my neck of the woods, but since they ship pretty well, we can still get sweet cherries during the summer months.

However, you don’t have to have fresh cherries for these oatmeal muffins, frozen will work too, or you could stick with a time honored favorite, blueberry muffins with a streusel topping.

Pro tip: If using frozen cherries, you will need to thaw them first and drain off the juices.

Any type of muffin that has cheesecake in the middle has to be wonderful including my pumpkin cream cheese muffins and chocolate cream cheese cupcakes. As with those, you get a couple of bites of cheesecake like filling in the center.

The cheesecake filling also keeps them from drying out as quickly, making these perfect for those time when you want to make them a day ahead of time.

Oatmeal soaked in buttermilk creates a moist oatmeal muffin and the cherries add a natural sweetness so that they don’t need quite as much sugar as other breakfast muffins.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Cherries add a unique taste
• Cheesecake filling
• Oatmeal soaked in buttermilk keeps them moist
• You can use fresh or frozen cherries

What you’ll need

• Old fashioned oatmeal – it will soak in buttermilk to create a great texture
• Buttermilk – if you don’t have buttermilk, you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk. You can use skim buttermilk or whole.
• Cream cheese – for the cheesecake filling
• Cherries – you can use fresh or frozen
• Pantry staples – sugar, flour, vanilla, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and egg and butter.

Pro tip: If you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can place each cherry over an empty wine bottle and use a chop stick to push the pit into the bottle. It’s quick and easy and you avoid the mess of cutting the cherry off the pit.

How to make cherry muffins with cream cheese filling

Step 1 – soften the oatmeal

Combine oats and buttermilk and let them stand for 10 minutes.

Step 2 – make the filling

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until combined and set aside.

Step 3 – make the batter

Add egg and melted butter to the oat mixture and add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.

Gently stir in the cherries.

Step 4 – layer the muffins

Scoop 2 tablespoons of oatmeal batter into each muffin cup. Top with2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture and then top with 2 tablespoons of the remaining batter.

Step 5 – bake

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Even though these have the extra step of layering the batter, it didn’t take any time at all and the outcome was worth the extra step.  These are so much better than a traditional breakfast muffin.

Since these have the cream cheese filling, you will need to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for 1-2 days. If you are not going to eat them right away, it is best to freeze them as the will dry out in the refrigerator.

FAQs and tips

Can you freeze cheesecake muffins?

Cheesecake muffins, just like cheesecake will freeze well, it’s the best way to store them as they will dry out in the refrigerator after a couple of days.

How do you tell if cherry muffins with cream cheese are done?

A toothpick in the center should come out clean. When the cheesecake filling is done, the rest of the muffin will be also.

What can you do with fresh cherry

Favorite breakfast muffins you’ll love

Adapted from Bake or Break 

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