Creative Cookery with Carolyn -- Cream Cheese Muffins

[paragraphs]

lawsontl asked me to share my Cream Cheese Muffin recipe and so decided to make a post. This recipe is actually a recipe that is not mine, but is a really popular recipe from low carb cooking sites. So I am not the creator! But, I have tweaked it to make my tastebuds happy by adding pureed fruit, yum!

First, here's pictures so you know what I am yammering about! The first is after the batters are poured into their muffin tins. Strawberry (red!) and blueberry (blue!). The two other muffins, cream and brown, are my leftover cinnamon ones. One can also add lemon juice for lemon cheese cake muffins. Or make them plain, and top with whatever jellies (sugar-free in my case) you have handy. Yummy!



And here they are in the oven, fresh and hot:



And a close-up!





Cream Cheese Sugar-Free Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 8 oz. packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese (really, the tastiest I've found)
1/2 to 3/4 cup sweetener (Splenda, I use erythritrol)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Soften cream cheese for a minute or so in the microwave, add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Line 2 6-cup muffin tins with muffin liners.

I defrosted about a half cup of strawberries and of blueberries, then using my hand-motor mixer thingy, pureed them, leaving them choppy. I divided my mix in two; half got the strawberries, half got the blueberries. With a spoon, I sorta whirl the fruit in rather than blend it. Prettier that way. Then I pour them into the muffin tins, stick in oven, set the timer (if your oven has one, as German ones apparently do not--at least not Nick's) and wait until the timer goes off, the tops are very lightly brown. Once done, voila! Out they come and they go right into the fridge. These are refrigerator muffins, and firm up as they cool. They will collapse a little, but no big deal.

These pretty much are my favorite sweet snack, since I am not into candy and such. I like one with coffee for breakfast on the days I don't do omelets, or for a snack later.

Each muffin is approx.:

146.8 calories
fat 14.8g
Sat. fat 8g
Cholesterol 47mg
sodium 140mg
carb. 1.12g
protein 3.74g



And in other news, my daughter found this little girl trotting down the street, close to getting hit. No collar tags, but a pretty collar, with a bow, and she is well-fed, and smells like she just had a bath. Tiff will post pictures of her tomorrow and take her to our vet--hopefully she'll have a microchip. Fingers crossed--she is super-sweet, and surely would've been hit. Of course, my pups are being kept in my room. Shelby would chomp her up in one go. Cute isn't she though? We'll find her home, I hope. Someone around here is freaking out I am sure.



PUPDATE: She is a 1 year old undocked tail Yorkie, no microchip, just home from a groomers (will be calling around shortly thanks a suggestion), nails fresh-clipped. Daughter said she only barked 1 time, this morning when Tiff fetched her from upstairs to take her to the vet's. We have a taker for her, one of the vet techs, if we don't find her home. Poor little girl woulda been smashed! Safe now, so we'll do the flyers tonight.

Comments

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

Oh, so they're like muffin-sized cheesecakes, not cakey muffins with cream-cheesy bits baked in the middle/on top? Interesting! Portion control = GOOD. Have never baked with Splenda before, mostly just use it in tea (that or stevia) so I don't get SO much sugar (I LOVE German Rock Sugar from Teavana, or my demererra cubes). But this isn't the usual baking, where you're worried about rising and lift, etc... cheesecake is about density and glommieness (that a word?) and I could see this working well in that case. Hmmm...must seriously consider this as a means of countering my tendency to eat all the fully fatted and sugary goodness in the world.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, muffin-size cheesecakes, yup!

I like stevia too--expensive stuff, so never have baked with it, but I like the the other stuff just fine. Have to use sparingly as it is very powerful. Yes! Dense and glommy sounds perfect to me.

And that last line--it helps me, anyway. Maybe they can be made chocolate too...

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

mmm muffins
EVERYONE STOP MAKING ME WANT TO BUY AN OVEN!

that dog is CUTE!

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

You don't have an oven? How can you live without an oven!

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

you are not the 1st person to ask this

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

LOL awwww.... did it just die? Or...yikes!

You could always get a toaster oven...which I also have.

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

yeah, the toaster oven gets lots of use

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

The muffins look yummie and the dog is cute enough to eat her up! :-)

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

The muffins are fantastic--or fantastic enough anyway. LOL.

She would've been eaten by a car! She's a yorkie, and we WILL find her home. Or give her one. She is safe, no matter what.

I crack up my daughter is the one who saved her though--she insists our dogs drive her nuts, and I am just a dog lady. I AM NOT! I can't bear to be. Would break my heart. So I do have rescues.

[momebie.livejournal.com]

I am so saving that recipe for later.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Do!

I can't wait for your crazy KL con report!

[momebie.livejournal.com]

I'm going to start working on it today. SO MANY PICTURES to edit. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to break it up by day.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Hey I am still working on my travel posts! I was going to finish this weekend, I really was. But I didn't. Sigh.

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Awww, poor little girl. I hope you can find where she belongs. She's very cute.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

We're working on it! She is an undocked Yorkie (I am thinking, you can't dock tails in the UK right? I have one docked-tail dog, but she came that way), 1 year old, healthy, fresh and fluffy and nail-trimmed from groomers. Or the owner does it. Whatever, she is loved, and well behaved and trained, so we must find her home. We have a backup home for her though, which is good. She will not be dumped by us at the shelter, no way.

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

We don't dock in the UK, but it's only been properly illegal in the last few years, so you still see docked tails about (it was technically illegal before then, but there were loopholes which have now been tightened, yay etc). There are exemptions for working individuals, but not for yorkies ;)

I'm sure someone is frantic for her right now. I hope she's chipped, that'll make things easier. If not, lecture the owners when you find them!

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

No chip. Daughter said if they offer her reward money she will tell them "Use that to get her microchipped! and a TAG!"

[blue-fjords.livejournal.com]

My coworker found almost that exact same dog on the street one morning and brought her into work for a couple of days before we found her family. She was also obviously well-cared for and groomed, but had just run off b/c of an open front door. Ours had a happy ending; hope yours does, too! I would suggest reporting her to your local shelters so that if her fam calls, they'll be informed that you're holding her and they can come get her (if you don't find a microchip).

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am doing that today--calling the humane society, the shelter, and I'll make fliers for her. Tiff has to keep her upstairs in her room because of the huskies...they haven't figured out she is here yet. She is a she which is good as Maddox is a bastard boy when it comes to other males--but they'll never set their eyes on this one regardless.

Do you know what kind of dog she is?

I really hope she has a microchip. They've now become required along with tags....lol just realized Claire doesn't have one though the huskies both do.

Sad fact: Shelby's microchip was still registered to Petland in Frisco, TX. The owners never bothered to update the information. Yes, Petland could've looked up the information but AdoptaHusky.org, who I got her from, decided not to pursue it due to the extreme condition of the dog. I actually was ambivalent about that, but by the time I found out she already had one, I'd shelled out my bucks for her and she was adjusting into the family somewhat...and apparently Texas has an abandonment law that after so many days a dog is considered homeless. Not sure that is a good thing or not--I would DIE if my guys got out and away from me for longer than that period, and then were found again. I would fight to get them back!

Whew, fortunately they are right here and all is well. Whew. LOL. (love me pups slightly, I do)

[alba17.livejournal.com]

OK, I'm really curious about these muffins that have no flour. What's the texture like when you eat it? Also, "refrigerator muffins"? I've never heard of this concept.

That dog is so cute! I hope you find her owner, poor thing.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

We hope to find her owner too. Am going to be making flyers in a second and Tiff and I will hit the streets with them and hope for the best.

No flower--it is more like cheesecake-type texture. DiD I really say 'no flower' and not 'no flour?' Definitely no flowers, or flour either!

It is basically sugar free mini cheesecakes but they are made in a muffin pan, so.... :)

[santousha.livejournal.com]

oh, that Yorkie is too cute!!!
*cuddles it and makes grabby hands*