Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread Muffins

It's ninety degrees outside and I'm standing in the kitchen baking muffins.  But when there's ripe bananas around, I love taking advantage of making fresh baked goods.  It's fun to experiment with different banana recipes because let's face it, baking the same kind of banana bread every time would get boring.  When I saw a recipe for banana bread muffins with cream cheese I couldn't resist.  They went from a muffin to a dessert with the sweet element of the cream cheese giving them a cheesecake taste.  I think the muffins are best chilled because the cream cheese filling is cold and sets up better.  For a hot summer day, the muffins right out of the fridge are just the ticket!

Cream Cheese-Filled Banana Bread Muffins

I found the recipe here on buzzfeed.com

For the bread:1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream (Greek yogurt may be substituted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the cream cheese filling:1 large egg
4 ounces softened cream cheese (1/2 block)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
2. To prepare the bread, combine egg, sugars, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together. Add the bananas and mash together.
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and mix lightly to combine. Set aside.
4. To prepare the cream cheese filling, mix egg, cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a small bowl.
5. To assemble the muffins, spoon a layer of bread batter into a greased muffin tin. Then spoon a layer of cream cheese filling, then top off with another layer of bread batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Baking times may vary. Muffins are done when a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow muffins to cool for 15 mins.
8. Enjoy!