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1
Preheat oven to 350F. Make the topping by mixing the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
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2
Make the filling by beating the cream cheese and butter together. When well blended, add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
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3
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined.
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4
Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin cups. I use two cookie scoops, one big and one small, to help fill the muffin cups. I use the larger cookie scoop to add batter to the bottom of each muffin cup (about 1/3 full). I then use the smaller cookie scoop to add the cream cheese filling (about the size of a raspberry) on top of the batter. Don't let the filling touch the sides. I then use the larger cookie scoop again to fill the muffin cup nearly to the top with batter.
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5
For the topping, you have two options. You can sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture on each of the muffins before baking, which allows the sugar/cinnamon mixture to kind of bake into the tops. Or you can bake the muffins and add the topping after you take the muffins out of the oven.
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6
Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 10.
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Alternate preparation: Do not add filling to the center of each muffin. Instead, quadruple the filling recipe (or multiple it by 6 to use up the entire brick of cream cheese) and use it as a cream cheese frosting after the muffins have been baked and cooled. Sprinkle the frosting with a pinch of cinnamon to make them look pretty. They are REALLY, REALLY good this way but a lot more fattening. I apologize for the extra calories if you choose to make them this way.
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For an accompanying story, visit http://cookingventures.blogspot.com
