Velvety cream cheese, rich chocolate and fresh cherries baked into one perfectly decadent muffin. These cherry chocolate cream cheese muffins are so easy and completely irresistible!
I don’t know a better companion to fresh cherries than chocolate as they both are rich, sultry and decadent in flavor, creating a special kind of indulgent deliciousness when put together. But then I had the idea of adding some smooth cream cheese into the combination and that just took this dessert to a whole ‘nother level.
Just imagine biting into a perfectly sweet and innocent-looking chocolate cupcake and then having your taste buds caressed by a delicious surprise of ripe and juicy chunks of cherries and then arriving to the velvety layer of silky cream cheese to tame all the wildness that the chocolate and cherries started in your mouth. It is an irresistible trio, let me tell you. Even the pickiest of the bunch here at the Caramel Crew headquarters demanded that some of the muffins should be put to the freezer since she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from annihilating the whole tray by herself.
Oh, and wanna know the best part? These lovely cherry chocolate cream cheese muffins are actually a bit healthier than the average cupcake – the very wholesome batter is made of spelt flour and whole wheat flour, adding some nice nutrients so you don’t have to feel guilty at all about baking these awesome sweet treats.
And even though the flour variety is a little healthier, you will still get a very soft and scrumptious result, so no compromise there. Another great thing about the dreamy Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins is that they are pretty quick and easy to make and really showcase the lovely cherry flavor that I wanted to celebrate now that they are in season. Here’s how to make merry with the cherries:
Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup spelt flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup cherries, stones removed and quartered
½ cup cream cheese
Instructions
1. 30 minutes before starting to bake, take the butter out of the fridge and set aside in room temperature to soften it. Prepare a 12-slotted muffin tin by placing paper cups into slots. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Combine whole wheat flour, spelt flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk until there are no visible clumps left.
3. In another bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time into the butter mix, beating with the mixer until well incorporated.
4. Alternating with milk and the flour mix, add both to butter mixture while mixing gently with a wooden spoon to reach even consistency. Do not overmix.
5. Add the cherries and fold them into the batter very gently, mixing as little as possible.
6. Lightly whisk the cream cheese with a fork so it will soften and be easier to handle. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of batter into each cup, add a teaspoon of cream cheese in the middle and then fill the cups with batter, leaving just a little room for expansion in the oven.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle rack.