Tender keto chocolate muffins with a sugar-free cheesecake center. Just like a bakery but so much healthier. Make your keto mornings fun again. Nut-free option too! This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
Is it weird that I have so many keto recipes that I can’t even remember them all? Or maybe it’s not weird at all, given my advanced age and my penchant for cranking out recipes at a furious pace. One’s aging brain simply cannot keep up!
There are so many recipes in my archives that I truly do forget about some of them. But I happened up on this old recipe for Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins, originally written back in January of 2012. Eight long years and this poor thing hadn’t had an update in all that time. I am clearly a very neglectful recipe parent.
Upon choosing to tackle it again, I also decided to give it a complete overhaul, from top to bottom. The original recipe was fine but I’ve learned so much about keto baking in the past 8 years that I thought I could improve upon it, making the batter smoother and more cohesive.
I even changed the name, since “Black and White Muffins” had many people scratching their heads. Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins seems much more apropos.
And while I was at it, I couldn’t help but throw a few of the new ChocZero dark chocolate chips on top, to make them even more appealing! Can’t go wrong with that.
Using a blender can improve your keto batter
I’ve really come to love using a blender to whip up keto muffins and other baked goods. It seems to make a lighter, fluffier, and more cohesive batter. It doesn’t work with all of my recipes, because some are just too thick, but it works very well for muffins.
In conventional baked goods that contain flour, you have to be very careful about over-developing the gluten, causing the end result to be tough. That’s why so many muffin and cake recipes say “mix until just combined”. So using a blender, which goes way beyond “just combined” can be trickier.
But in most keto recipes, we don’t need to worry about gluten so there is no issue with over-developing or over-mixing. In fact, I often find my blender baked goods more tender when they are made this way. It produces an incredibly smooth batter, even when working with more coarse ingredients like nut meals.
One caveat to this approach is that you really do need a good, high powered blender with a large, wide jar and strong blades. Keto batters can be quite thick and you risk burning out the motor.
The good news is that you can still mix this batter up in a bowl if you prefer. They will still be utterly delicious.
Tips for making Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins
Cream cheese filling
The delicious cheesecake-like filling is simply cream cheese, powdered sweetener, heavy cream and vanilla. You don’t want an egg in here, as it will make the filling rise too much and it won’t be as creamy smooth once the muffins cool.
Make this before you whip up your batter, so you are ready to fill the muffins right away.
Chocolate muffin batter
This recipe calls for almond flour but you can actually use any nut meal or seed meal you like here. Because it’s blended up, even the more coarse nut meals should work well. If you are hand mixing, however, you may find that your batter is a bit coarse when using meal.
I had a plethora of hazelnut meal that needed to be used so I chose that, which gave these muffins a delicious hint of hazelnut. If you need to be nut-free, try using sunflower seed flour.
Do be sure that your eggs and almond milk (or hemp milk for nut-free) are at room temperature before whisking in the melted butter. If they are cold, your butter will solidify and won’t blend properly. Using room temperature ingredients is a good idea for most baked goods anyway.
The espresso powder is really only to enhance the chocolate flavor, it doesn’t result in any strong coffee taste. It’s an old trick I learned from my idols over at America’s Test Kitchen.
Assembling the muffins
Once the batter is in the muffin pan, you want to make wells in the center of each one. I used a spoon for this and I pushed the batter up the sides of the muffin cup.
Then plop a nice dollop of the cream cheese filling right into that well. I found it took about 1 1/2 tbsp per muffin, and it didn’t always want to come off the spoon nicely, since it was rather thick. I used a small rubber spatula to push it off into the muffin.
Finally, throw some keto-friendly chocolate chipseon top! This is optional, of course, but it makes the muffins somehow more appealing. Chocolate chips are kind of magic, that way.
If you haven’t tried the ChocZero chips yet, I highly recommend. Since they aren’t sweetened with any kind of sugar alcohols, they are great for those with intolerances.
And ChocZero gives all my readers 10% off when they use code FOODDREAMER at checkout.
Love to bake? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking
Tender keto chocolate muffins with a sugar-free cheesecake center. Just like a bakery but so much healthier. Make your keto mornings fun again.
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond or hemp milk room temperature
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour (can use sunflower seed meal)
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional, enhances chocolate flavor)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
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In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sweetener until well combined. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin pan with 12 silicone or parchment muffin liners.
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In a large blender, combine the eggs, almond milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
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Add the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Blend until smooth. If your batter is overly thick, try adding a tablespoon of almond milk or even water. It should be scoopable but not liquidy.
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Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each no more than 2/3 full. With the back of a spoon, create a well in the center of each muffin.
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Divide the cream cheese filling among the wells, adding about 1 1/2 tbsp to each muffin. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with chocolate chips
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Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are puffed up. Remove and let cool in the pan (the centers will sink, this is normal).
Laura says
Looks like we are both posting muffins with cream cheese filling today. These look yummy!
Lauren @ KeepItSweet says
That really is a sad selection of girl scout cookies! I didn't know you had so few options in Canada. Good thing you can make your own delicious treats like these muffins!
Stephanie says
What if your batter is too thin!?? I used the exact ingredients per your recipe and it’s quite runny!
Carolyn says
If it’s too runny, then you mismeasured somehow and need to add a bit more flour.
Jackie says
I also had a runny batter situation going on. Wondering if my eggs are extra large. I also cut back on the swerve to about 1/4 cup.
Still baking so not sure how these will turn out but I’m sure great.
Carolyn says
I don’t think cutting back on the Swerve would be the issue so the eggs or the flour must be the problem. What brand of flour?
sclark32 says
Oh my heavens!! You have no idea how badly I want one of these right now!! I've never had a cream cheese filled muffin before 🙁 This is like torture!
[email protected] says
These look great Carolyn! Cheesecake muffins are always so delicious that's it's easy to eat too many of them. At least with these that wouldn't be as bad of a thing 😀
Amalia says
Congratulations on the article, that's awesome! These look so delicious, I love that it's low carb and gluten free, you don't find many desserts that fit that description and look this amazing! Great recipe 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Kelly says
Ooo I love these muffins! They look so cute and sound so delicious! 🙂
Kiri W says
Oh man, these look so, so good. I kind of want a pudding filling. Yum. Hard to believe these are low-carb! 🙂 Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
KatrinasKitchen says
You are an expert!! 😉 And these muffins…wow.
Natasha says
I miss the old Mr Christie sandwich cookies, the ones they sell now by anoither maker aren't as good. A lot of people around here (New Brunswick) wait all year for the mint thins at Christmas, i know a few people who freeze them for all year! But the sandwich cookies, people don;t seem to like so much anymore.
These muffins look great! Anything low carb and this delicious looking must be made!! 🙂
Erin says
Congrats on the interview, that sounds great! I saw those muffins from Dennis as well, and I have been trying to hold off making them. I love your low car version – gorgeous!
Emily @ Life on Food says
When I started reading my exact thoughts were "there is not black and white cookie". Great story, and great muffin recipe even if they have nothing to do with each other.
Alison Lewis says
Those sound amazing!
happywhennothungry says
These look delicious! Love the cream cheese filling.
comowater.com says
Chocolate muffin + cheesecake?!?!?! I'm SOLD! And congrats on your interview! Sounds like you were able to share your unique perspective! 😀
Jen says
I was the troop cookie mom for 2 years when my daughter was younger and I kind of hope to never see a box of GS cookies ever again!!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
How funny, i did not know that about Canadian Girl Scout Cookies. Now I want to know what they taste like so I can compare.
Terra says
UMMMMM….yes please! Love the cream cheese filling in the center, I bet each bite is a happy bite:-) Hugs, Terra
Lora @cakeduchess says
Dennis is awesome and there is some serious yumminess happening here. I'll take 2 for breakfast tomorrow, please;)
Maureen says
wow heaps of ingredients I've never heard about before but these muffins look great and I agree with you completely about Chef Dennis!
I moved from the states to Australia and the Girl Guides here have one box of crappy cookies (called biscuits) here. They have no idea what they're missing!
lisamichele says
These look amazing, Carolyn! I love a cheesecake stuffed muffin and will always choose it over one that isn't…eating healthy or not. BTW, had the same issue with my pumpkin cheese muffins. Stuff with cheesecake = more muffins = not a problem at all 😉
Roxana GreenGirl says
I kinda learned my lesson not to leave almost anything out. My 2 year climbs all over the place. Now she discovered she can open the fridge. .. sigh…
These muffins look amazing! My all time favorite is chocolate cheesecake and these are simply irresistible!
Jeanette says
Love Chef Dennis and your low carb rendition of his recipe. My brother is pre-diabetic now so I shared your site with him – thanks for all you do!
RavieNomNoms says
oooo Carolyn! These look awesome! I remember being a Girl Scout and people getting SO excited whenever the cookie order form came around the neighborhood and then at my Dad's work. Your muffins look amazing and I wish I could snack on one right now!
Sandras easy cooking says
You are right, it is interesting story ..Congrats on the article, it sound like an exciting news!
Those cupcakes look stunning…great job converting them to gluten free! You are our little gluten free genus!
Rachel says
I have been really craving cheesecakey things lately – love that this is a healthy version! Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
These muffins are calling my name! Yum!
Yep, I think we've all been visited by Chef Dennis in those early days and it was so great to get a comment from a stranger!
Charlie says
Cream cheese and chocolate are so good together! Your muffins must look amazing! Yummm
Eftychia says
These cupcakes look delicious. I have something similar in starbucks! I like the fact that you used yogurt in the recipe.
MARIA says
Yogurt? Are we looking at the same recipe?
Carolyn says
Yeah, not sure what she’s talking about either although maybe she meant to comment on my Blueberry Yogurt Muffins?
alyceculinarythymes says
Yumm!
Kim - Liv Life says
These muffins look absolutely delicious, and they would have made a perfect snack for my Girl Scouts! I have to admit to being somewhat over the cookies after peddling them with my troop for 6 years, but an occasional Thin Mint really hits the spot!
acommunaltable says
These look seriously addictive – I can see why they were a big hit with your family!!!
chef Dennis says
Thank you so much for making my muffins, yours look even better than mine! I have been giving serious thoughts to limiting my gluten intake, the more I think about it the more sense it makes, I may never be able to eliminate completely but it sure wouldn't hurt to cut it back as much as possible.
Thank you for so many delicious alternatives to gluten products!
kita says
Why. whhhhy have I not made these yet? Everything about a chocolate muffin with a cream cheese center just seems so right. Congrats on your article and thanks for reminding me I need to try these!
jessica says
Thank you for posting this recipe! I made it my first attempt of low carb gluten free baking and they are super yummy. How did you store them? Can I freeze them with the cream cheese center? I am afraid my family of 2 wont be able to eat them all before going bad…. I know, I can't imagine not finishing them before that 🙂
Lisa says
Where do you buy the powdered E? And protein powders?
Thanks 🙂
Carolyn says
I mostly use Swerve now and you can purchase it directly from their website. If you use the code DREAM10, you will get 10% off your order. http://www.swervesweetener.com/103-1-1-29.html
Protein powders, I usually purchase on Amazon. I like Jarrow Brand http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EQPGCC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005EQPGCC&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20
Asli says
i love these muffins!! so good, the cheesecake part is heaven. but my chocolate muffin dough turned out way too dry. i had to put in lots more almond milk to make it pliable enough to fill into the muffin pan. did i miss something?
the muffin itself turned out a chewy, brownie type muffin which was really good anyway
Carolyn says
What brand of almond flour did you use?
Asli says
in germany it’s hard to find almond flour. i used unblanched, partially de-oiled flour. could it be that it sucked up all the moisture? now i ordered some blanched almond flour online. is that better?
Mj says
Same.
Liz says
Just taking these out of the oven now. I had jumbo muffin tins so I did that instead of the odd number of regular size. Look good and smell great! Can’t wait for them to cool enough to try!
Lynn says
These look amazing thanks! As for the Canadian Girl Guide cookies (which I sold when I was in Brownies and Guides myself!). I have to say we love the vanilla sandwich cookies in my house– the problem is only1/2 a box is vanilla so you have to suffer through the other 1/2 of chocolate ones! Lol!
Debra says
Just wondering how powdered stevia or THM sweet blend would convert? I don’t have stevia drops. 🙂
Carolyn says
For the muffins, in place of both the erythritol and stevia drops, you can use 2 tbsp Sweet Blend. For the filling, use the same amount. I don’t use a lot of powdered stevia so I am not sure about that.
Diana says
Hi Carolyn!!!These do look great can we use something other than liquid stevia? Like granulated Swerve? How does the measurement change?
Carolyn says
Sure, you can use another 1/4 cup Swerve.
Nancy says
How much xanthan gum? I see it in the instruction list for the muffins, but no in the ingredient list. Thank you.
Carolyn says
You can leave it out. That must be an error.
Barb says
I don’t see xanthan gum in the list of ingredients, but it is in the directions. Just wondering…
Thank you…
Jen says
These reminded me of the chocolate cheesecake brownies my friend’s mum used to make for us when I was a kid about 30 years ago. So I tried to bake them and they are delicious! Very similar. I did put in 1.5 tsps of Xanthan Gum and they turned out fine. I also added chocolate chunks (100% cocoa).
Kathleen Polacik says
Love this recipe, thank you, was wondering if you have a replacement for the protein powder , I cannot have whey, thank you ?
Carolyn says
I use this egg white protein when I don’t want to use whey… http://amzn.to/2myXsZi
RHONDA says
Do you know how well these freeze? I’m the only one in the house that will eat them.
Carolyn says
They should freeze fine.
Robin says
These were delicious. I’m diabetic controlling it with exercise and diet. I took my glucose before having one and one hour after. Before my glucose was 99, 1 hour after it was 98. It didn’t affect my sugar at all.
Carolyn says
Nice! I love hearing that.
Sonja says
I was wondering about the stevia drops – i have stevia extract, is that the same thing? Very excited to make these muffins!
Carolyn says
The same thing…I use the liquid extract.
KathyJND says
Oh, these are so yummy! Both the chocolate and the cheesecake portions were great. My blender wouldn’t fit all the batter, so I mixed it with a hand mixer and then added it to my blender in two batches. It was so fascinating to see the difference in the batter after the high-speed blending. So much smoother! I get it now. Definitely making these regularly!
Carolyn says
Glad they worked out!
Tracy says
Grew up in the 70’s my favorite Girl Scout cookies were the Scot Teas, thin crispy dusted with granular sugar, and the sandwich cookies, lol. Now it’s the Thin Mints, Samoas and Shortbread. Love your recipes, can’t wait to try the muffins. Sounds like a winner! Thank You!
Jodie Reimink says
Hello-
in the recipe it doesn’t list Xanthum Gum, but it is listed in the directions. How much should I add? (I added 1 t. and they came out great, but wasn’t sure of the purpose of it). Thank you!
Carolyn says
This recipe is an older one and I’ve discovered it doesn’t really need the xanthan anymore.
Adrian says
Is the 1/2 tablespoon of almond milk correct? That small amount of liquid seems unlikely to affect the batter, which made me wonder if maybe it was supposed to be a half cup instead.
Carolyn says
Thanks for catching that, it’s supposed to be 1/2 cup! Fixing now…
Tricia says
In the article you mention using hazelnut flour- how much would you use (instead of almond)? I like to bake using grams and have found with your recipes 1 cup of almond flour works out to be 100g- would it be the same with hazelnut flour?
Thank you for all the top notch recipes you provide us with!
Carolyn says
It measures pretty much the same.
Joys says
These are delicious! Not sure why, but my batter was too thin to make wells, so I just plopped the cream cheese mixture on top and smushed it down into the batter. Thanks for another great recipe!
Carolyn says
You may have needed a bit more flour or cocoa powder. Different cocoa powders have different absorbency so it can sometimes affect the recipe.
Mandi says
I had the same thing happen with my batter… it was almost like a thick cake batter, but still slowly pourable. I tried adding about 1/4 cup more almond flour, but it didn’t make enough of a difference, so I just left it be. I really wanted to be able to make those “wells” in the batter, and while these really are good, having that cheesecake-y goodness right inside would have been so much better.
Carolyn: is the Rodelle cocoa that you link to what you use too? If so, I have the exact same cocoa, so I don’t think that would be it. Other than that, maybe my Kirkland almond flour is to blame?
Carolyn says
I have a big bag of Rodelle in my cupboard and it is indeed what I used. If your batter was like a “thick cake batter” then it was ideal and I am not entirely sure what the problem is? But I suppose it could be the almond flour. I’ve had a number of people make these without issue.
Mandi says
I meant that as a thicker cake batter that pools and is still liquid enough that it’s impossible to make wells for the cream cheese.
gremlin says
is “1/2 tbsp unsweetened almond or hemp milk room temperature” correct? it seems like such a small amount. looking at your Double Chocolate Muffin recipe i’m wondering if that shouldn’t be 1/2 c?
if 1/2 tbsp is correct, is water also fine?
gremlin says
nevermind, i apparently hadn’t refreshed the page in a week. after posting it refreshed, and i see the comment above and that it’s already been fixed in the recipe. sorry!
looking forward to making these tomorrow.
Sonya says
I just made these and they were great. I will make them again. Thanks for being so awesome. Congrats on the new book!
Holly Hodgins says
Where do you recommend I buy sunflower seed flour? The one I found on Amazon is a 12oz bag and wouldn’t cover the 2 cups for the recipe. That would buying 2 bags would make an incredibly expensive muffin. Are there other less expensive options for nut free?
Carolyn says
The 12 oz bag would indeed cover two cups, actually. Sunflower seed flour is only about 100g per cup, as long as you use the scoop and level method. That’s only about 3.5 ounces per cup.
But you can also make your own: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/how-to-make-your-own-sunflower-seed-flour/
Holly Hodgins says
Thank you so much!
Lisalia says
I’m new to keto – and LOVE that there’s a delicious treat I can enjoy that fits into my eating goals. Thanks for this AMAZE-YUM-DELISH muffin.
Chelsea says
These are seriously sooooo delicious!!! We’re obsessed with them! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
stephanie says
This is the perfect treat for anyone on the keto diet. Thank you so much for sharing.
Meladalba says
My versions weren’t pretty but they were delicious!
Elisabeth Gunningham says
I am making this recipe for the first time – they are in the oven right now! I used to be famous for my Black-Bottom cupcakes, pre keto – and I was so sad that I couldn’t make them any more. Fingers crossed, these will rise to the occasion! I am bringing them to the Oscar party this afternoon. Thanks Carolyn!
Lindsay says
These muffins are delicious. Just baked them this morning. What’s the best way to store them? Thanks for the awesome recipes! The vanilla scones were also amazing! Better than Starbucks if you ask me!
Carolyn says
They are best stored in the fridge in a covered container.
Jenna says
I made these recently and I’m wondering if there is an error in the measurement of the baking powder? I used the 1 Tbsp recipe called for and these tasted horrible, very ‘tinny’. I am thinking the recipe should be 1 Tbsp?
Carolyn says
Hi Jenna, no it’s not an error and you can see from the overwhelmingly positive reviews that most people do not experience this. Sounds to me like you have a baking powder that’s not good. And possibly contains a lot of aluminum, if you got a tinny taste. A lot of them do contain aluminum and it’s really not good for you.
Keto baked goods lack gluten and thus require a lot more leavening agent to rise properly. You could cut it back to 2 tsp but that’s the least.
Ann says
Just made these today and they are delicious! Thank you!
Viana H. says
These muffins came out just perfect on this Portland raining night! ( Comfort food night!)
Thank you, Carolyn!
Carolyn says
Looks like we’re getting some nice weather soon!