These sweet Carrot Cheesecake Muffins are soft and delicious and will make you think you are eating carrot cake for breakfast. Watch everyone smile when you make this muffin recipe.

Say hello to my new favorite breakfast muffin recipe. Well, for right now anyway. I adore these Carrot Cake Donuts, and these muffins reminded me of those yummy treats, but with a creamy cheesecake center. Oh, yeah.

Our kids love having muffins that they can grab for a quick and easy breakfast before they head off to school.  They also like having leftover muffins to munch on when they get home in the afternoon too.

My original plan was to actually bake blueberry muffins because usually we have a big bag of blueberries in our freezer. Then I realized the last Triple Berry Orange Smoothie I made last week wiped out the rest of the blueberries. So, I had to get creative with what we already had. 

I looked through the cupboards and the refrigerator and came up with a big bag of carrots. As I was working on the recipe for these carrot cake muffins, I had to make a few batches to get it absolutely perfect.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is one of my all time favorite cakes, so it just made sense to make these carrot cake muffins with a cheesecake filling.  

After a few test runs on these carrot muffins, I doubled the cheesecake center because more cheesecake is never a bad idea.  Am I right?

How to make Carrot Cheesecake Muffins:

1. Shred your carrots using a food processor or with a hand held grater. Do NOT buy the all ready shredded carrots that are available in the stores.  These do not provide enough moisture for baked goods.
2. Mix your oil, sugars, extract, and eggs in a large bowl.
3. Stir together all the dry ingredients and slowly mix them into the sugar mixture.
4. Add the buttermilk and carrots and stir until mixed in.
5. Divide the batter evenly into 18 greased muffin cavities.  You will need a 12 count pan and a 6 count pan.
6. Beat together the cheesecake filling and spoon it into two large plastic baggies. Cut one tip of each bag. Use one bag to squeeze cheesecake into the center of the muffin batter.
7. Use the second bag to go back over each muffin and add another swirl of the cheesecake batter on top of the muffins.
8. Sprinkle the outside edges with diced pecans. This is totally optional, but it really makes the muffins look a little prettier and taste so good.

More breakfast muffin recipes that you may enjoy:

Our kids request these Double Chocolate Banana Muffins all the time!

These Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins are a great way to start each morning.

These Grab N Go Pancake Muffins from All Day I Dream About Food are perfect for busy mornings.

A batch of these Chocolate Avocado Muffins never last long in our house. Trust me and make these today!

These sweet Banana Coconut Muffins are loaded with shredded coconut and toffee bits. They are so good.

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Carrot Cheesecake Muffins

Yield: 18 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These sweet Carrot Cheesecake Muffins are soft and delicious and will make you think you are eating carrot cake for breakfast.

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Ingredients

For the Muffins

• 2/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon anise powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots

For the Cheesecake Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup diced pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin pan and a 6 count muffin pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. Beat the oil, sugars, and extract until combined. Add the eggs and beat again.
3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
4. Add the buttermilk and shredded carrots and stir until completely combined.
5. Spoon the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins.
6. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, orange extract, and flour. Spoon the mixture evenly into two large plastic baggies and cut one tip off each bag.
7. Squeeze half the cheesecake mixture evenly into the center of the muffin batter. Use the second bag of cheesecake to add a swirl of cheesecake to the top of the batter.
8. Sprinkle the pecans around the outside of the muffin batter. Bake for 15-16 minutes.
9. Remove and let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes before gently removing them from the pan and placing on a wire rack.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan (2, STANDARD)
• 
  Bakers Joy Cake Pan Spray 2 Pack

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 222mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 4g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

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*The post for Carrot Cheesecake Muffins was originally published on September 24, 2012. The photos and post have been updated and republished on March 25, 2019.