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A few weeks ago, I was dog/house sitting for my parents while they went on a trip to Hawaii. Lucky them! I therefore had a lot of time on my hands. I was at my parents, an hour and a half from my place, with nothing to do and noone to hang out with other than my parents’ dogs! Needless to say I had a LOT of time on my hands. So what’s a girl to do? Why not make muffins! Lots of them! Some of what I made was by request, and the rest was based on what I had on hand and what would expire before my parents go back, such as the strawberry muffins.

As for the plums that went into these muffins, there is a large tree in the backyard that had so many ripe plums just waiting to be picked. Normally, I just eat plums straight. They’re so good and so hard to resist as a quick snack, but I was determined to find some ways to use them in recipes. I found many options and I didn’t have a chance to try everything I wanted to. Thankfully, I had a chance to make these muffins. Again, I used what I had on hand and I had part of a cream cheese block leftover after making creamy taco mac so I substituted that for some of the butter and yogurt. Cinnamon added a hint of spice to give the muffins a little something extra. They came out wonderfully and were a big hit with the neighbors, who to sample the variety of muffins made! 🙂 So if you ever find yourself with some plums laying around, why not make muffins! And don’t worry, there will be one more muffin recipe on the way soon. 😉One Year Ago: Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Plum Muffins
Yield: 18 muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1½ cups chopped plums, about 5 plums
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray; set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until blended and smooth. Add sugar and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, beating until incorporated; batter will be thick. Gently fold in the plums.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops lightly with coarse sugar, if using. Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 degree F and bake for about 12 more minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.

Source: Adapted from  Strawberry Muffins

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