Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Muffins are a sweet edible memory. Fluffy lemon poppy seed muffins stuffed with cream cheese and covered in a crumble topping.

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When I think of lemon poppy seed muffins, those tiny bagged ones I used to sometimes have in my school lunches come to mind. They were deliciously sweet and tart morsels of childhood joy.

Fast forward to college and my next memory of lemon poppy seed is a sliced loaf with a cream cheese layer in the middle from one of the cafes on campus. Although I later discovered it was orange and lemon, the combination of lemon, poppy seed, and cream cheese stuck in my brain.

Since then, I have made several variations of the two memories: glazed lemon poppy seed cookies and also lemon poppy seed cheesecake thumbprints, lemon poppy seed madeleines perfect for serving with tea, glazed lemon poppy seed bread (like loaves of the mini muffins), and a slightly different Meyer lemon poppy seed pound cake,

Since I clearly can’t get enough, I finally combined the recipe for glazed lemon poppy seed bread with cream cheese. And to make it ever more special, I added a crumble topping. Which resulted in these fluffy lemon poppy seed muffins filled with sweet cream cheese finished with a sweet crumbly topping. They are like little bites of dreamy food memories.

Welcome to #BrunchWeek! This event has been around for over 7 years. It’s a fun way to share our love for all things brunch related to help celebrate Mother’s Day! We have 11 bloggers sharing over 30 recipes this year!! That’s 30 plus delicious recipes to help celebrate mothers, family, and friends. If you’re putting together a brunch, then you’ll appreciate all the variety this event offers! From cocktails to baked goods and even sandwiches, there’s something for everyone.

Here are today’s #BrunchWeek recipes:

• Caramel Simple Syrup from Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Chipotle Tacos de Papa from Magical Ingredients
• Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing from For the Love of Food
• Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelitos from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Hibiscus Lemonade from Art of Natural Living
• Key Lime Curd Mousse from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Orange Cream Scones from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Peanut butter, Bacon and Banana Stuffed Waffles from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Spreadable Whipped Cream Cheese (for bagels) from Palatable Pastime

LEMON POPPY SEED CHEESECAKE MUFFINS

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Yield: 1 dozen Prep Time: 35 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

FILLING

• 8 oz. cream cheese-room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

TOPPING

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

MUFFINS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cavity cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the dry topping ingredients. Add melted butter and mix with a fork until coarse crumbs form; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, blend together the filling ingredients until smooth; set aside.
4. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
5. In a large bowl mix oil and sugar for about 2 minutes at high speed. Add eggs and beat until just incorporated. Then mix in the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon extract for 2 more minutes. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients, and then fold in the poppy seeds until evenly distributed.
6. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of muffin mixture in each cup. Drop 1 heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in the center of each muffin. Cover cream cheese filling with muffin mixture, filling each cup about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
7. Generously top each muffin with streusel crumbs.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the center has set.
9. Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from my Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Bread and OMG Chocolate Desserts.

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