Mango Muffin with Cream Cheese Filling

It's Monday and it's muffin time.  This is my Muffin Monday :)

Two weeks ago (I think) a friend of mine gave me a pack of dried ripe mangoes, a delicacy of Cebu, Philippines and I told myself that I will make something out of it, don't know what at that time.  I just don't want to eat it as it is.  My creative mind is playing with me, eh?

Think, think, think...hmmm, why not make a muffin out of it? With some courage and confidence on a muffin recipe we used before in one of the Muffin Mondays (Cheesecake Muffin) and some addition to it, I came up with a very, I say VERY delicious muffin!  Oh yes, it was heaven!

Bits of mango with cream cheese?  Who can resist?

MANGO MUFFIN with CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Ingredients:

350g/12oz Plain Flour
1 and 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp baking soda

140g/5oz Caster Sugar 

1 cup chopped dried mango

1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
250ml/9fl oz Milk

1/4 tso McCormick Mango Flavoring
85g/3oz Butter, melted 

For the Filling
175g/6oz cream cheese
3 tbsp Caster Sugar 

Method:

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups or you may omit if you want. 

2.  Soak dried mangoes in water for 5 minutes and drain.

3.  Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar and salt.

4.  pour in drained mango bits and mix well until mango bits are covered with flour mixture.

3.  Beat the eggs and milk together in a jug or bowl, then stir in the butter and mango flavoring and gently mix into the dry ingredients to make a loose, slightly lumpy mixture. Do not over mix or the muffins will be tough.
 

Filling:

1.  Mix together the soft cheese and sugar for the filling. Half-fill the paper cases with the muffin mixture.  Spoon some sweet cream cheese and cover with remaining muffin batter.

2.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

A friend asked me what's the name of the muffin and I told him, he said, "NO, it's called Mango Heaven!"  and another friend agreed.  Now I can't see them without bringing some of these muffins again...they made me promise *wink*

I promise you, this  is addicting!