Pear, Date and Cream Cheese Muffins

Those look so good!! Can't wait to try them!! From Ricardo's magazine.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 muffins

Ingredients

• Cream cheese filling

• 1⁄2 cup light cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄4 cup honey

• Muffins

• 2  cups flour, sifted
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1  pinch salt
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1  egg
• 2⁄3 cup low-fat milk
• 1  pear, peeled, cored and diced
• 1⁄2 cup  fresh dates, pitted and chopped

Directions

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F Line 8 muffins cups with paper or silicone liners.
2. Cream cheese filling:.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and honey. Set aside.
4. Muffins:.
5. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg and beat until smooth.
7. With a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Stir only until the flour is moistened. Add the pear and dates.
8. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Using the backside of a spoon, make a hole in the centre of each muffin and fill with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture.
9. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin but without touching the filling comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
10. Remove the muffins from the pan, place on a cake rack, cover with a clean tea towel and let cool.