Part of Spring cleaning at our house includes going through the freezer to make room for this year's harvest. At least that is what I keep telling myself as I walk through the house with it's winters accumulation of dust and miscellaneous items that seem to have forgotten their designated storage place. We had a bumper crop of tart cherries last year and after inviting over neighbors and friends to take their share, we had plenty left over for us. This recipe used up 2 cups of cherries to make the filling and I added a dollop of a cheesecake center to make it even more tasty. This recipe is a little more involved than most of mine, but well worth the effort of both the filling and the topping. I did make a batch without the topping and they paled in comparison. If you don't have access to frozen tart cherries, then feel free to substitute blueberries or strawberries. You can also use canned pie filling for this recipe if you have some of that collecting dust in your pantry.

Tart Cherry Cream Cheese Muffins

Inspired by the Seasons, Adapted from a recipe by Comfortable Food

For the topping:

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c rolled oats
2 T brown sugar
1 T granulated sugar
3 T butter, melted

For the filling:

6 oz cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
3 T granulated sugar
1 c prepared pie filling (from scratch recipe below)

For the muffins:

2 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk (I used 2 %)
1/4 c butter, melted (you could also sub vegetable oil)
1 tsp vanilla

For topping:

In a medium sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients then add the butter and mix until pea sized clumps are formed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the filling:

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, vanilla and egg yolk on low speed until combined.

For the muffins:

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Mix in remaining ingredients until just combined.

To assemble:

Grease the sides and top of a muffin tin. If using muffin liners, please grease the top as these have a tendency to overflow.

Fill each muffin 1/3rd of the way. Add one tablespoon of each the cream cheese and pie filling. Top with remaining batter and gently pat on the crumble topping. Bake 22 - 25 minutes until tops are golden brown. Due to the liquid center, you will not be able to do the standard toothpick test for doneness.

To make your own pie filling:

Place 2 c of frozen fruit in a small saucepan and heat until juice is released. Then add 1/4 c plus 2 T granulated sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove 1/4 c of the juice and stir in 2 T of cornstarch in a small bowl. Gradually stir this back into the pan and simmer 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens.