Cheese of the Month - Cream Cheese

SLACKER! That is what I am when it came to my Cheese of the Month entry for April. I'm talking serious slacking. Meaning I decided on a recipe last night, made it this morning, and now I am writing this post. To make my slacking even worse, I completely forgot to take pictures. I know, I know. SLACKER!

The selection this month is cream cheese. Cream cheese is a weird one for me. I don't care for it. You will never see me put cream cheese on a bagel. Yuck. But, I LOVE cooking and baking with cream cheese. Heck, cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. So maybe it is just plain cream cheese that bothers me because I have lately become obsessed with turkey wraps that are held together with vegetable cream cheese. Weird, I know.

Okay, on to the recipe. I made Lemon Curd and Cream Cheese Muffins. While searching for ideas last night, I found this recipe and knew I had to make it. I had homemade lemon curd in the fridge that needed to be used so this recipe was perfect. Plus, I could make it for breakfast and still get my post up on time!

This recipe was SO delicious! A light, fluffy lemon muffin with a delicious sweetened cream cheese pocket in the middle. I really enjoyed these muffins... maybe that is why there is no picture. I just wanted to eat them!

And to make up for no picture, here are a few links of some yummy recipes that include cream cheese!

Iced Cinnamon Bun Scones
Fruit Pizza
Taco Avocado Wraps
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake
Cucumber Sandwiches
Nutella Cinnamon Dip

Thank you to Brittney of Adventures in Gluttony for hosting this wonderful group! Check out her blog for the round-up!

Lemon Curd and Cream Cheese Muffins
Recipezaar

MUFFIN

6 ounces flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 ounces sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
5/8 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
4 TBSP butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons lemon curd
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 ounce powdered sugar

GLAZE
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 ounces powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a muffin pan with paper cases.

Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together.

Add lemon zest.

Mix together the milk, egg, butter, lemon curd and vanilla.

Mix together the cream cheese and icing sugar in a seperate bowl.

Make a well in center of the dry ingredients, quickly stir in the wet ingredients using no more than 12 strokes.

Put 1 tablespoon of the muffin mix into the base of the muffin pans.

Pop a fraction of the cream cheese mixture on top and then cover with the remaining muffin mixture.

The tins should be almost full to the top.

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Prepare the glaze by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice together.

Remove the muffins from their tins, cool for five minutes and then drizzle with the glaze.