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Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

Banana cream cheese muffins with a domed, golden top and a hidden cream cheese center that turns tangy and rich when split open. This bakery banana muffin recipe uses mashed banana in the batter and bakes until a toothpick in the batter comes out clean.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana muffin batter
  • 3 ripe bananas mashed
  • 0.3333333333 cup butter melted
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
Cream cheese filling
  • 6 oz cream cheese softened
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners so the muffins bake evenly and release cleanly.
Make the filling
  1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, then refrigerate until needed to firm the center for easier stuffing.
Make the batter
  1. Mix mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth so the batter holds together well.
  2. Fold in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined to keep the muffins tender.
Fill and bake
  1. Fill muffin cups 1/3 full, add 1 heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling to each, then cover with more batter to fill 3/4 full for a hidden pocket.
  2. Bake for 20–22 minutes at 375°F until golden, and when a toothpick is inserted in the batter (not the filling) it should come out clean.

Notes

For the cleanest cream cheese center, refrigerate the filling until firm, then stuff quickly so it doesn’t soften too much. Store muffins airtight in the fridge up to 4 days; rewarm 10–15 seconds in the microwave. Freezing is yes—freeze up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, you can use reduced-fat cream cheese in the filling (texture may be slightly softer).