Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Muffins

Having had one child already, I know exactly what those first few weeks post-partum are going to be like, and folks -- they ain't gonna be pretty. And if I get the chance to eat anything at all, I know I'm not going to want to eat things that are healthy. I'm going to want things that are comforting, things that make me forget how exhausted and sore and overwhelmed I am. That's why most of the meals I've frozen for us to eat during that time contain pasta and/or lots of cheese.

That's also why I made these muffins. I'm hoping they froze well, because I'm really looking forward to having these for breakfast the first week we're home from the hospital. They'll taste awesome with the gallons of coffee I'll be consuming.

A couple of the muffins didn't make it all the way to the freezer -- I had to taste test, of course! These muffins are absolutely delicious. I realized I'd run out of vanilla extract right before I started making them, but rather than giving up, I used an inch of vanilla bean instead, and that worked perfectly. Cream cheese and chocolate chips -- what's not to love?

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Muffins
source: adapted from Allrecipes

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup cream
1 inch vanilla bean (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

2. Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla bean. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cream cheese mixture until flour is moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.

3. Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden, about 20 minutes.