Triple Berry Cheesecake Muffins

Things can’t be as bad as they seem because Triple Berry Cheesecake Muffins are here and they are HAPPENING.

These babies are divas. They are studded with three types of juicy berries, swirled with a luscious cheesecake layer, and heavily streuseled. They are fluffy but also dense, crumbly but also juicy, sweet but also highly snackable, if you consider something with the word “cheesecake” in the name to be a snack. Which I do.

THEY ARE THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.

We have shared a lot of healthy muffins that are super easy and quick over the last few years – for example, apple muffins, carrot muffins, and banana muffins.

These triple berry cheesecake muffins are a different beast altogether.

They take a little more time to prep (um, maybe because there’s a cheesecake layer? #worthit) and with that amount of streusel on top, they are not landing in our healthy muffins category.

But these gems are a treat. They are something special, something fun, a small and doable and very delicious project – are you following? These are not an everyday muffin but a CHEESECAKE muffin. A triple berry cheesecake muffin.

They are the muffin equivalent of a swipe of red lipstick and a fresh manicure.

The kind of thing for a day that just needs a little extra jazzing.

Which… is a lot of days right now.

This recipe came about by way of a few sources, most notably the pint of Ben and Jerry’s strawberry cheesecake ice cream which started this flavor obsession for me, and Sally’s recipe for strawberry cheesecake muffins which was highly influential here.

Sending triple berry cheesecake muffins vibes into your consciousness now. I’ll say again: juicy, streusely, cheesecakey, and delicious.

Triple Berry Cheesecake Muffins

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• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 12-15 muffins

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Description

Triple Berry Cheesecake Muffins! Juicy berries, a luscious cheesecake layer, and some heavy streusel on top to finish it off. Baked to perfection!

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Ingredients

Streusel:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• pinch of salt

Cheesecake Layer:

• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sugar

Triple Berry Muffins:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping cup of a frozen berry blend (raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries) – not thawed

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Instructions

1. Streusel: Soften or melt the butter, and use your hands to mix it with the brown sugar, flour, and salt. You should get the consistency that matches the pictures above – like small pebbles.
2. Cheesecake Layer: Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add egg and sugar; beat again until smooth.
3. Muffins: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Beat the butter and sugars together until creamed. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla; stir until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; mix until just combined. The batter will be thick. Fold in the frozen berries just before assembling the muffins.
4. Layering: Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Press 1-2 tablespoons of batter into the bottom of each muffin tin. Flatten with the back of a wet spoon. Pour a spoonful of cheesecake mixture over the top. Cover with another 1-2 tablespoons of muffin batter. Sprinkle with streusel.
5. Bake: Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 and bake for another 15-18 minutes. Voila! Look at those beauties! You did it!

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Notes

With this amount, I usually make 12 large muffins (although be careful not to overfill past the top of the muffin tin) and then if I have any batter left over I often just toss it in a ramekin and bake it into a little cakelette because why not.

• Category: Snack
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: berry cheesecake, cheesecake muffins, berry muffins, frozen berries, fruit muffins, muffin streusel

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The Quarantine Report: Episode 3

Same time same place, and we meet again! Except this time I have a bowl of grape remnants in my lap.

Today marks 42 days in quarantine for me. In 42 days, I’ve been out in the public world exactly three times. That’s a lot of time at home.

Bjork and I are splitting days and times and hours to try to both cover our work and parenting bases, and it is, well, just kind of impossible. It doesn’t make sense – there are two of us, and one of her – but considering we are used to having at least 30 hours of weekly childcare that has suddenly gone away, I guess it makes sense that balancing all of it feels so overwhelming.

Staying home for this long is both important and hard. Week after week, news cycle after news cycle, I am feeling the when-does-the-end feelings right there with you. I’m trying to remember that even if we don’t know when it ends, it isn’t forever.

So back to it – here’s the Quarantine Report List this week:

• Something Delicious
• Something Outside
• Something Connected
• Something Fun
• A Bonus Sage Photo

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Overall

Not a bad week. Also not the most fun time of our lives ever.

It was okay.

We had some mild ups and downs, and I had one day where I just fell into a cry hole after reading a particularly sad news article (THIS IS WHY I TRY NOT TO READ THE NEWS), but overall it felt like the perk-up and love-filled things throughout the week outweighed the bad stuff. It was solid. Solid isn’t bad. Solid is just… solid. I will take it.

Something Delicious

Of course, the deep dish pizza we had delivered last night was delicious, as were the work-with-what-you-have Korean beef rice bowls that I made earlier this week.

But the real winner was these triple berry cheesecake muffins. I made them 3x in 3 days, A) because it’s my job to make sure our recipes are actually really good, and B) because, um, THEY ARE REALLY GOOD and I like to eat them.

Check back – that brand new recipe will drop on Monday morning! Just think – it’s **something to look forward to!**

Something Outside

I’m trying to get better about doing some “field trips” with Solvi during my longer days with her. This week we went to an open field by our house. Literally… just a flat patch of grass. There is a park here, but it’s closed. There are trails here, but she’s not interested in being strapped down in a stroller these days.

So we went to an open field and she just kind of ran around aimlessly in the grass for an hour with me following her around and pointing out trees and robins and dogs walking on the trails. Despite the cold (STILL. WHY.) it was a winning moment in the week.

Side note: when we lived in the Philippines, in the heart of the jam-packed, always-bustling, highly populated urban chaos, we used to LONG for space like this. Just open green space. It is a gift, really. I’m thankful for you, Minnesota!

Something Connected

This week: PAINTING!

Brush lettering for me (during Solvi’s nap – I just couldn’t get any proper tasks done so I dusted off some paints and brushes) and then a stressful / fun watercolor frenzy with Solvi when she woke up.

This is in the “connected” category because I actually just got an email that our community is doing a drive to collect May Day cards for isolated seniors, so it looks like next week we’ll be painting again to contribute some cards for our community’s seniors and send some love out into the world.

Something Fun

This week I did a photo shoot with Sage and Solvi. I took a bunch of pictures on my DSLR and then transferred them to my phone where I just edited them right there from my perma-lounge position on the couch. It was a fun distraction.

Sage Photo

She loves the sun. She is my daughter. She is me.

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How are you guys doing?

Are you on the up-and-up? Stuck in a downward spiral? Riding the rollercoaster of unpredictable emotions day to day?

What are the little things (are there any? one? two?) that are lifting you up this week?

I don’t always get a chance to respond to all your comments (see above about dividing work and quarantine parenting shifts) but I want you to know that I read them and connect with them and absorb them. I feel honored to get a glimpse into your quarantine lives. ♡

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Springy Vegetable Quiche

This recipe is sponsored by ALDI

Spring is the season of bright and hopeful feelings and wonderful, amazing brunch food.

When we have brunch with my family, for sure the brunch item that will be for surely on the menu is my mom’s quiche. For sure. This quiche is a family favorite.

One of my main issues with quiche is the texture, but this one has the texture just right: fluffy but not overly firm, creamy but not soggy, and full of flavorful sautéed veggies while still feeling like a proper savory-pie-for-breakfast moment.

I tweaked a few things from my mom’s recipe for simplicity and personal preference, but what you see here is more or less her staple quiche recipe. Without fail, this very familiar, very beloved quiche shows up in our lives multiple times during the spring months thanks to my lovely mom and my hungry family who raves about this brunch-baked-into-a-pie situation.

Things to love about this guy:

• Easy. Very easy.
• Creamy and rich.
• Freshness brought to you by spring vegetables.
• Vegetarian (as I did here) or add bacon (as mom does)
• Special-feeling, but not overly fancy

If you don’t know (but I know you do), ALDI is my favorite. It’s the grocery store with the world’s most passionate fan club (present!) thanks to its affordable prices, sustainability initiatives, and LOTS OF ORGANIC OPTIONS.

My personal ALDI faves for spring:

• Simply Nature Organic Grade A Cage Free Large Brown Eggs
• Simply Nature Organic Spinach
• Mushrooms and asparagus
• And my favorite cheese of all time – the Emporium Selection Specialty Shredded Cheese Gouda (I also love the Gruyere and Swiss blend which we used in this brunch bake)

Making the Quiche

Pie crust: check.

I like to bake mine for about ten minutes first to get it partially baked, so the bottom of the quiche doesn’t get soggy.

Filling: check check.

Sautéed veggies, eggs, cream, salt, cheese… in you go.

And that’s it!

Bake that little miracle right up and you’ve got yourself a happy springtime brunch that feels both special and down to earth at the same time.

Will you be serving the new orange or pineapple mimosas from ALDI with your brunch? I mean… you tell me.

Springy Vegetable Quiche

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• Author: Lindsay
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 12 (two 10-inch quiches)

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Description

Springy Vegetable Quiche! Fresh sautéed spring vegetables with creamy and cheesy eggs, all baked into a flaky pie crust. Easiest fancy-feeling brunch!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cups veggies – I used mushrooms, asparagus, and spinach
• 8 Simply Nature Organic Grade A Cage Free Eggs
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup Emporium Selection Specialty Shredded Gouda Cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 2 unbaked Bakehouse Creations Pie Crust

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Video

Instructions

1. Melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms; sauté until browned and soft. Add the shallots; sauté until fragrant. Add asparagus; sauté until softened and bright green. Season with a pinch of salt.
   
2. Whisk eggs and heavy cream together. Add cooked veggies, cheese, and salt.
   
3. Press pie crust into a 10-inch pie pan and gently crimp the edges so they look nice. (This recipe is enough for two quiches, so just do this twice if you’re making both at the same time.)
   
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke tiny holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes, until partially baked.
   
5. Pour the egg and veggie mixture into the pie dish (stop when you start to get to the top of the pie edges). Bake for 15 minutes. 
   
6. Remove pan from oven and cover the pie edges with a foil crown so the edges don’t overbrown. Bake for another 15 minutes.
   
7. Slice and serve! Serve with a little spring mix salad, fruit, or muffins for brunch goals. Yum.
   

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Notes

Substitutions if you have any trouble finding ingredients right now:

• Shallots: Any type of onion or garlic.
• Veggies: Just about anything you have on hand! Avoid any veggies that take a long time to soften and cook.
• Heavy Cream: Milk or half-and-half.
• Cheese: Any cheese your heart desires!
• Pie Crust: Make your own using this method from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

• Category: Brunch
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: quiche, vegetable quiche, spring quiche, brunch quiche, pie crust, spring brunch

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram and hashtag it #pinchofyum

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Thank you to ALDI for sponsoring this post!

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The Quarantine Report: Episode 2

Hi again!

Things are still weird and stuff is still closed and life is still taking place within the confines of these four walls… so it’s time for the next Quarantine Report!

Also, though. The grass is growing, and the sun is… kinda, depends on the moment… shining, and love from family and friends is still traveling the distance to meet each of us in our own little at-home worlds.

I still appear to be strapped into a rollercoaster that takes me all over the emotional landscape from day to day, but maybe that is normal because nothing is normal. This is just the ride right now. And on the upside, there are some fun things to report on this week.

Here’s the Quarantine Report List:

• Something Delicious
• Something Outside
• Something Connected
• Something Fun
• A Sage Photo

Overall

Overall this week was much better than last week for me.

When I say much better, please note that puts me at the top of the “Okay” category. It’s an Okay +. We’re not talking about best week of my life, just kind of… okay.

And okay feels really good.

I don’t know if I can even really justify or quantify or rationalize where these feelings come from – I’m sure, like so many of us, things just hit us at different times and for different reasons.

I think having Easter this last week was a huge pick-me-up for me, even though Easter itself was weird and I didn’t cook anything and we were snowed-in. But just having one small little thing to look forward to – putting Solvi in her Easter dress that I bought before quarantine, and making a little Easter egg hunt for her in the yard with pieces of chalk due to lack of Easter egg access this year – I felt myself having actual fun, which hasn’t happened in a while. It was happy. And it was really good to feel that.

Something Delicious

Obviously the most delicious thing I made was date night rigatoni.

I was missing at least 5 of the main ingredients but I had variations or workable substitutions for each of them, so I went for it and it was just an ongoing glory moment for the 2-3 days that we got to eat through this big pot of saucy, luscious pasta.

Tied, of course, with this week’s new post: that incredibly fun and easy-to-make cauliflower gnocchi.

Something Outside

No, no, and NO. Nope. Goodbye.

During our Easter egg hunt, we learned some disturbing news that our beautiful new yard and landscaping appears to be housing a community of snakes.

We live in Minnesota, so yes they are harmless garter snakes, but OH MY GOSH NO! NOT SNAKES. Please not snakes. I’ve already almost stepped on one. This is not okay. I won’t, I can’t.

Our backyard is pretty heavily wooded – we see lots of deer and other little forest animals, which is a dream come true – but then we also have this kind of loose rock landscaping that I think is drawing in all the snakes as a nice home base, from which they find their way into the yard, onto the deck… I feel faint.

I cannot do this. I honestly cannot do this. I know, they go in houses sometimes, I KNOW. So we need to probably get our house checked and then also figure out what we’re going to do about the landscaping to prevent them from hanging out here all summer.

HALP ME. If you know something about reworking landscaping to make snakes basically hate it here, please leave a comment. Sincerely, Despairing In Minnesota

Something Connected

Here’s how it happened:

Our friend stopped by on a bike ride to say hi from the front yard. We were planning to eat in the backyard – very fancy takeout Chipotle – so we said, hey Nate, why don’t you come join us for dinner but you’ll have to sit six feet away and we won’t feed you?

And he was like, sure!

So we had dinner together aka ate our burritos directly in front of his face while he sat in a lawn chair 6 feet away. It was weird and we owe him a burrito when quarantine is over, but also it was very wonderful to “have dinner with” a friend.

Something Fun

A fun thing we did this week: WATCHED A MOVIE. And made cookies, and you’re welcome for the picture of Quarantine Me Living My Best Life While Creeping on Bjork’s Phone.

Listen, I don’t watch a lot of movies. It takes too much work. Isn’t that so weird? But it really does. By the time I settle in to just watch TV and hang out, I have next to zero energy left and it’s usually around 9:30pm which leaves me with about 45 minutes before bedtime.

But on Saturday, we got Solvi to bed early, we did takeout for dinner, and we didn’t have work to finish up… so WE COULD ACTUALLY WATCH A MOVIE.

Bjork let me pick, and I (naturally) chose Love Wedding Repeat after watching about two seconds of the trailer. Chick flick rom com mindless funny cheesy perfection. It was exactly what the moment called for.

Plus popcorn and Easter candy and cookies. It was a shining moment from the week.

A Sage Photo

You knew it was Easter and you knew she wouldn’t let you down.

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What About You?

Team check in. How we doin?

Are you…

Drinking water? Eating regular meals? Getting enough sleep?

Do you feel…

Overwhelmed? Sad? Lonely? Grateful? Peaceful? Actually pretty okay?

I would love to hear how things are holding on for you guys this week – what you cooked, what you did to stay connected, what’s giving you life and what’s hard. Bjork and I and our POY team – we are living these ups and downs right along with you. It won’t be like this forever – I’m reminding myself of this, too. There is more.

Sending all our love from our quarantine to yours! xo

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