Cream cheese has always been a favorite ingredient for me, when added to various dishes, sweet and or savory. From my childhood I use to slather it on banana bread, then too I learned how to make ruguleah, with cream cheese, butter and flour, a Jewish delicacy/ Danish -like dessert, folded in with sugar, nuts and cinnamon, also from my Jewish background. But too, with a mild salsa dressing along with spices such as cilantro, oregano, pepper, thyme, some salt and onion powder, I watched a friend swirl the cream cheese and spices in a blender briefly to create a tasty dip, along with chips, perfect as an appetizer.

But in more recent years I discovered tasty muffins, and make assorted variations. I bring filled platters of these to volunteer events, and every last crumb disappears! If I see a recipe on line, or in one of my many cookbooks, I check it out, and alter it to my liking, which is what I did with this muffin recipe. Especially in summer with fresh fruit in abundance at Farmers Markets, I gravitate to stands and buy selections of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. But too, even in winter, grocery stores stock good choices of frozen fruit. Blackberries and raspberries in muffins make for a tasty snack. Also, I love the colorful contrast the fruit brings alongside the chocolate chips. The muffins adapt well as a morning sweet treat or as a dessert after any meal.

INGREDIENTS YIELDS 15-17 MUFFINS

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

2 cups fresh raspberries or substitute 1 cup blackberries for one cup of the raspberries

1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

PROCESS

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pan with liners, or grease.

2 In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3 In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar, until well mixed. Stir in vanilla.

4 Add eggs one at a time, betting well after each addition.

5 Add flour mixture t o the eggs mixture a little at a t ime, until completely incorporated. Gently stir in chocolate chips.

6 Carefully pour batter into muffin tins, filling a bit over half way full. Bake 20-21 minutes.

7 While still warm, sprinkle with colored sanding sugar, or colorful sprinkles. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, remove muffins to a cooling rack until completely cool. Dust w ith confectioners sugar, if desired.