Magnolia Bakery's Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns

I was in the mood to bake although I wanted to find a recipe that didn't require the purchasing of a lot of extra ingredients. I don't raid my kitchen pantry  nearly as much as I should in terms of using up already bought ingredients. So when flipping through the chapter on muffins, breakfast buns, and quick breads from my The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook I came across Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns. The authors write that "These buns were our most popular breakfast item at the bakery since the first day we opened our doors. The flavors of the cream cheese and the preserves work really well together." Thankfully the recipe only required me to purchase a package of cream cheese and butter since I had run out, both minimal costs.

They were easy to make and smelled DELICIOUS upon taking them out of the oven. Although it was too late to try one after they were done, I did have one for breakfast the next day (warmed for five minutes at 350 F) and it was excellent. Although the cream cheese taste was not very strong, it was still there and gave it a great taste and consistency that set it apart from the average muffin/bun.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns

BUN

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (one 8-ounce package) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour 9 bun pans or large muffin cups. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth, about three minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingreidents in two parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Spoon the batter into the bun pans or muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Drop 3 small dollops (about a teaspoon each) of raspberry preserves onto the top of each bun and using the tip of a sharp knife, swirl the preserves into the batter, forming a decorative pattern. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the bun comes out clean. 

Makes 9 buns.