Cherry Cheesecake Muffins
Cherry Cheesecake Muffins make a great snack or sweet breakfast. Cherry pie filling and a simple cheesecake filling are stuffed into the center of tender, flaky crescent dough muffins to create a delicious explosion of cheesecake in every bite.
We love muffins because they’re easy and so versatile. They’re great for afternoon snacking, a sweet start to the day, or for any kind of gathering. We got creative with these muffins, combining cherry cheesecake filling with crescent dough muffins.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only uses a few simple ingredients.
- It looks fancy, but it’s very easy to make.
- Cherry cheesecake is a classic flavor everyone loves.
- The crescent dough creates a tender, flaky muffin that feels like a pie crust.
- The filling is a nice little surprise for everyone who has one.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a few simple baking ingredients to make these muffins, and you can find them all in your kitchen or at your local grocery store.
All the ingredients are listed right here, but you’ll find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Crescent dough
- Cream cheese – softened
- Vanilla
- Sugar
- Cherry pie filling
- Butter – melted
- Brown sugar
- Powdered sugar for dusting – optional
🔪 How to Make Cherry Cheesecake Muffins
Making these muffins is an incredibly straightforward process. Although they might look complicated with their cheesecake center, they’re easy enough for beginners!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Filling
Stir the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.
Step 3: Prepare the Muffins
Unroll the crescent dough and press out the perforated seams to create a solid sheet. Then, cut it into 8 equal squares.
Step 4: Fill
Place a rounded teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in the center of each square, then top with about 3 cherries. Pull opposite corners of the square together and pinch closed to create a rounded muffin shape.
Step 5: Bake
Place the muffins in the muffin tin, seam side down, and brush the tops with melted butter. Sprinkle a little brown sugar on top and bake the muffins for 15 to 16 minutes until lightly browned.
Step 6: Cool
Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Use your favorite pie filling to create different cheesecake filling variations.
- You can make these with phyllo dough for a tasty variation.
- Try serving your cheesecake muffins topped with a dollop of whipped cream for extra richness.
If you think these cherry cheesecake muffins look good, we think you’ll enjoy our easy cherry muffins.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Muffin tin
- Mixing bowl
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate these cherry cheesecake muffins for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to a month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
What to Serve with Cherry Cheesecake Muffins
Serve these muffins with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They’re also delicious when paired with fresh fruit, a scoop of ice cream, or your other favorite sweet treats as part of a larger dessert spread at gatherings.
💭 Tips
- Evenly coat your muffin tin with non-stick spray, but don’t use so much that it pools.
- Be sure your cream cheese is fully softened to avoid a filling with little bits of raw cream cheese.
- Be careful not to overfill your crescent squares. If you overstuff them, they’ll come apart.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
The crescent dough is done when it’s a golden color and flaky.
Almost any kind of fruit works well with cheesecake. However, berries tend to be the most popular choice.
Cheesecake can’t be frozen for longer than a month because of the ice crystals that form in it as it sits in the freezer. While frozen, the cheesecake develops more and more ice crystals inside it. At a month, the crystals aren’t noticeable. However, after that, the cheesecake begins to take on a grainy texture.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cheesecake? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Cherry Cheesecake Muffins
Equipment
- muffin pan
- mixing bowls
- Knife
Ingredients
- 8 ounces crescent dough
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup cherry pie filling
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and set it aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Unroll the crescent dough and press out the perforated seams.
- Cut the dough into 8 equal squares.
- Place a rounded teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each square.
- Scoop about 3 cherries on top of the cream cheese.
- Grabbing opposite corners, pull up to form a square and press the edges together to create a seal and form into a rounded shape.
- Place each ball into one muffin tin, seam side down.
- Brush each top with the melted butter and sprinkle a little brown sugar on top.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15-16 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
- Remove and let cool before dusting with powdered sugar.
