Moms Offering Moms Support
Committees
-8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
-1 egg, beaten
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
Muffins
-1 package cinnamon swirl muffin mix
-1/2 cup milk
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 large eggs, beaten
-1 tsp. maple flavoring
-1 cup shredded carrots, about 3 carrots
Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Spray muffin pan with Pam or use paper baking cups. Set pan aside. Prepare cream cheese surprise: Place cream cheese in medium-sized bowl. Blend with electric mixer on medium-high speed until it is fluffy, 30 seconds. Add egg, sugar and vanilla to cream cheese. Blend the cream cheese mixture until creamy, 15 seconds more. Set mixture aside.
Prepare muffin batter: Place muffin mix in large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Reserve the cinnamon sugar packet to sprinkle on top of muffins. Place contents of cinnamon swirl packet, milk, oil, eggs and the maple flavoring in the well of muffin mix. Stir with a fork to combine wet ingredients. Stir wet and dry ingredients together with wooden spoon just until combined, 20 strokes. Add shredded carrots (pre-shredded carrots are long, tough and get tangled in batter and aren't recommended). Stir another 10 strokes to combine. The batter will still be slightly lumpy. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each prepared muffin cup, filling 3/4 full. Make small well in center of each muffin and dollop a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture into this well. Sprinkle tops of muffins with the reserved packet of cinnamon sugar. Place in oven.
Bake muffins until deeply golden about 20-22 minutes. Remove pan and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool another 15 minutes. Store muffins in cake saver at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
