Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

We had a beautiful morning today--opened the windows for a while (that was a treat) and enjoyed a great General Conference. Hope and gratitude! That was definitely the message I received this weekend.

And I also tried a new recipe. My sister, Lori, had some over-ripe bananas that she didn't want so I used some in a new banana muffin recipe and stashed the rest in the freezer.

This recipe comes from a blog I visit now and then called Pinch My Salt http://pinchmysalt.com/. It is very easy and while the muffins are not beautiful (I'm sure yours will be) they are delicious. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Filled Banana Muffins

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

Muffin batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan.

2. In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Put bowl in refrigerator while you make the muffin batter.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and sugar; set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

5. Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl filled with flour mixture then stir with wooden spoon just until the mixture is combined.

6. Spoon enough batter into muffins cups so that they are just under halfway full. Add one spoonful of cream cheese mixture into each cup, then top with remaining muffin batter. Muffin cups will end up being almost completely full.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees. Check after 20 minutes, muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.