Cream Cheese Muffin クリームチーズマフィン

This is another of my wife’s baking/muffin projects. This time, she tried to use up some smoked trout cream cheese dip she made and Greek yogurt dip which we had and enjoy as an appetizer on crackers. They were both getting a bit old. The cream cheese dip has a nice dill and smoky flavor from the trout. The Greek yogurt dip has a nice rich olive oil flavor that blends well with the flavor of the Greek yogurt we make. She looked for “cream cheese muffin” recipes on the internet and modified one she found for cream cheese and garlic. The recipe called for plain cream cheese, plain yogurt and garlic for which she substituted the smoked trout cream cheese dip, Greek yogurt dip and eliminated the garlic. We were not sure how this would turn out with these substitutions. We were pleased that it came out quite nicely with some smoky flavor coming through. Its a nice savory small bite perfect to accompany wines (#1).

Ingredients (made 24 mini muffins) 
280g flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
200 g plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt dip)
150 g cream cheese (I used cream cheese smoked trout dip)
1/4 cup oil

Directions:
Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a bowl.
In a second bowl combine the wet ingredients: eggs, oil, yoghurt, and cream cheese.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not over mix).
Scoop dough into prepared muffin tins (well greased or paper-lined). I used the small-bite tins (#2). Bake in the preheated oven at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown (#3).

Despite the substitutions of ingredients these little muffins were quite nice. They were crispy on the outside and moistly tender on the inside. They have a robust slightly smokey/dill flavor. They make a perfect little appetizer bite.