Ingredients

For the Muffins:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

  • 2 large eggs

  • ½ cup vegetable oil

  • 2 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened

  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

  • 1 tsp lemon zest

For the Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 1–2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Prep the Filling: In a small bowl, whip the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or a small zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Set aside.

  2. Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease thoroughly with butter.

  3. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.

  4. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is uniform.

  5. Combine: Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined; do not overmix, or the muffins will become tough.

  6. Fill & Core: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (filling them about ¾ full). Insert the tip of your cream cheese piping bag into the center of each muffin and squeeze about a tablespoon of filling into the middle.

  7. Bake: Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

  8. Glaze: Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes. Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle generously over the warm muffins.