{"id":55,"date":"2024-06-25T18:57:50","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T18:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soledaddemo.pencidesign.net\/soledad-baking-recipes\/2024\/06\/25\/cream-cheese-zucchini-muffins-copy-28\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T19:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T19:22:09","slug":"how-to-perfect-your-macaron-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/?p=55","title":{"rendered":"How to Perfect Your Macaron Technique"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Using my go-to<a href=\"#\" rel=\"\">zucchini bread<\/a>recipe as the starting point, these soft<strong>cream cheese zucchini muffins<\/strong>are deliciously spiced with cinnamon and stuffed with a<a href=\"#\" rel=\"\">cheesecake<\/a>style filling. Before baking, sprinkle with coarse sugar for a little sparkling crunch on top.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Zucchini Muffins, Upgraded<\/h3>\n<p>These muffins are downright DELICIOUS. Using a variation of my absolute favorite<a href=\"#\" rel=\"\">zucchini bread<\/a>recipe\u2014an old family recipe that won 1st place in a state fair\u2014we\u2019re baking muffins stuffed with sweet cream cheese. They taste like dessert! I got the recipe idea from these<a href=\"#\" rel=\"\">pumpkin cream cheese muffins<\/a>, a total fall favorite. Here we\u2019re swapping pumpkin for zucchini and skipping the crumb topping. Though you could definitely add it here if desired!<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Here\u2019s why you\u2019ll love them:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Easy muffin batter using basic ingredients<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Soft, moist, filled with creamy filling<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Warm spice flavors like cinnamon and nutmeg<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Recipe makes just 10, but can easily be doubled<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Hidden veggies\u2014you can\u2019t taste the zucchini!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overview: How to Make Cream Cheese Zucchini Muffins<\/h3>\n<p>Today\u2019s muffin recipe is similar to my regular zucchini muffins. The batter yields slightly fewer muffins, but if you want a full dozen, you can use the plain<a href=\"#\">zucchini muffins<\/a>batter and stretch the cream cheese filling to fill all 12.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_2_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-sticky-container adthrive-content adthrive-content-2 noskim adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"CJC5l-mq94YDFULYTAIdefgMAQ\">\n<p>The full written recipe is below, but let\u2019s quickly walk through the steps first.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Make the zucchini batter:<\/strong>All basic ingredients here including flour, leaveners, egg, sugar, and vanilla. Compared to my zucchini bread batter, I add a little more baking powder so the muffins can rise up under the heavy cream cheese filling. I use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar for extra flavor\u2014and I actually slightly reduced the amount of sugar since we\u2019re adding the sweet cream cheese filling. Cinnamon and nutmeg add flavor. Use a<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2N9kjdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow\">box grater<\/a>to shred the zucchini. I add a little extra zucchini for added volume.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make the cream cheese filling:<\/strong>You need 4 simple ingredients for the cream cheese filling. Bring 5 ounces of brick cream cheese to room temperature, then beat it with 1 egg yolk, sugar, and a touch of vanilla extract. The egg yolk helps the cream cheese filling \u201cset\u201d like cheesecake. Don\u2019t use a whole egg\u2014the texture will taste off.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Assemble:<\/strong>Layer a heaping Tablespoon of zucchini batter into your lined muffin pan. Top with a Tablespoon of filling, then another heaping Tablespoon of zucchini batter. No need to swirl together. I always sprinkle crunchy coarse sugar on top because it adds a lovely contrast on the super soft muffins. I like Sugar in the Raw or white sparkling sugar sprinkles, which you can usually find with the sprinkles in the baking aisle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bake:<\/strong>Your kitchen will smell divine!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possible Variations<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Carrot, Apple, or Banana:<\/strong>You can replace the shredded zucchini with shredded carrot for cream cheese carrot muffins. I always like a little ginger with carrot, so feel free to add 1\/4 teaspoon of ground ginger to the carrot batter. You could replace the zucchini with shredded apple, too! This cream cheese filling would be wonderful with my<a href=\"#\" rel=\"\">banana muffins<\/a>batter as well. For banana, carrot, or apple, follow the baking instructions and time(s) written below.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Loaf instead of muffins:<\/strong>Use my<a href=\"#\" rel=\"\">zucchini bread<\/a>recipe and feel free to skip the chocolate chips. Add half of the batter to the greased 9\u00d75 inch loaf pan, spoon and gently spread this cream cheese filling on top, then carefully spread remaining zucchini batter on top. Use a toothpick or knife to swirl together, which will prevent the loaf from separating. (Not necessary for muffins.) Add about 5 minutes to the bread\u2019s bake time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Double the recipe:<\/strong>To yield about 20-22 muffins, feel free to double the recipe below by doubling each ingredient. Instead of 2 egg yolks in the cream cheese filling, 1 full egg will work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n    <div id=\"penci-recipe-card\"><\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"wrapper-penci-recipe\">\r\n        <div class=\"penci-recipe penci-recipe-novertitle precipe-style-1\">\r\n            <div class=\"penci-recipe-heading\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                    <div class=\"penci-recipe-thumb\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\"\r\n                             alt=\"\" title=\"Default Kit\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                    <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                <div class=\"penci-recipe-metades\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <h2 class=\"recipe-title-nooverlay\">Cream Cheese Zucchini Muffins<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <a href=\"#\" class=\"penci-recipe-print-btn penci-recipe-print\"\r\n                           data-print=\"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/penci-recipe\/inc\/print.css?ver=4.1\"><i class=\"penci-faicon fa fa-print\" ><\/i>Print<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <div class=\"penci-recipe-meta\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                <span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"penci-ficon ficon-clock\"><\/i> <span\r\n                                            class=\"remeta-item\">Prep Time:<\/span> <time >15 minutes<\/time>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                <span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"penci-ficon ficon-cooking\"><\/i> <span\r\n                                            class=\"remeta-item\">Cooking Time:<\/span> <time >22 minutes<\/time>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"penci-hide-tagupdated\" >22 minutes<\/time>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                        <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <div class=\"penci-recipe-rating penci-nutrition\">\r\n                            <i class=\"penci-ficon ficon-fire\"><\/i><span\r\n                                    class=\"nutrition-lable\">Nutrition facts:<\/span>\r\n                            <span class=\"nutrition-item\">200 calories<\/span>\r\n                            <span class=\"nutrition-item\">20 grams fat<\/span>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <div class=\"penci-recipe-rating penci-recipe-review\" data-recipe-id=\"55\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"penci-rate-text\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRating: \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"penci-rate-number\">5.0<\/span>\/5\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n                            <div class=\"penci_rateyo\" id=\"penci_rateyo\" data-allow=\"1\"\r\n                                 data-rate=\"5.0\"\r\n                                 data-postid=\"55\"\r\n                                 data-people=\"1\"\r\n                                 data-total=\"5\"><\/div>\r\n                            <span class=\"penci-numbers-rate\">( <span\r\n                                        class=\"penci-number-people\">1<\/span> voted )<\/span>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"penci-recipe-ingredients penci-recipe-not-visual\">\r\n                    <h3 class=\"penci-recipe-title\">Ingredients<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1 and 1\/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1 teaspoon baking powder<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/2 teaspoon baking soda<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/2 teaspoon salt<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1 large egg, at room temperature<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1 and 1\/4 cups (150g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>optional: coarse sugar for topping<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>Cheesecake Filling<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>5 ounces (142g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1 egg yolk, at room temperature<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>1\/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                        <li><span>3 Tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                        <\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"penci-recipe-method\">\r\n                    <h3 class=\"penci-recipe-title\">Instructions<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<ol>\n<li id=\"instruction-step-1\">Preheat oven to 425\u00b0F (218\u00b0C). Spray a<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2LIUKB0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">12-count muffin pan<\/a>with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 10 muffins.<\/li>\n<li id=\"instruction-step-2\"><strong>Make the zucchini batter:<\/strong>Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together. Whisk in the zucchini. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk or stir until just combined. Avoid over-mixing.<\/li>\n<li id=\"instruction-step-3\"><strong>Make the cream cheese filling:<\/strong>Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar until combined.<\/li>\n<li id=\"instruction-step-4\">Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of zucchini muffin batter into the muffin cups. Layer with 1 Tablespoon of cream cheese filling, then another heaping Tablespoon of muffin batter\u2014or however much batter is needed to fill the cups all the way to the top. Some cream cheese filling can poke out of the top or on the sides. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.<\/li>\n<li id=\"instruction-step-5\">Bake for 5 minutes 425\u00b0F (218\u00b0C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350\u00b0F (177\u00b0C)* and continue baking for another 15\u201317 minutes. The total time these muffins should be in the oven is around 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before serving.<\/li>\n<li id=\"instruction-step-6\">Cover leftover muffins tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n                <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"penci-recipe-notes penci-recipe-notes-novisual\">\r\n                    <h3 class=\"penci-recipe-title\">Notes<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <p>Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up in the microwave if desired.\nSpecial Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)\nZucchini: I do not peel the zucchini before shredding, but you certainly can if you\u2019d like.\nVariations or Doubling the Recipe: For other flavor ideas, turning this into a loaf, or doubling the recipe, see Possible Variations above.\nWhy the initial high oven temperature? Like I do for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they\u2019re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\t\r\n\t\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using my go-tozucchini breadrecipe as the starting point, these softcream cheese zucchini muffinsare deliciously spiced with cinnamon and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[10,11,12,13,14],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bread","tag-baking","tag-bread","tag-breakfast","tag-cookies","tag-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/elementor_library\/7"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/triplebraidedmarriage.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}