Step 1

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside. (I don’t prefer the cosmetic look of muffin liners).

Step 2

Crumb Topping – To a medium bowl, add the sugar, flour, and using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until you have coarse crumbs; set aside.

Step 3

Cream Cheese Mixture – To a separate medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and beat with a handheld electric mixer until smooth, or whisk by hand until smooth; set aside.

Step 4

Muffins – To a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.

Step 5

To a separate medium bowl, add the egg, oil, buttermilk, cocoa powder, red food coloring, and whisk to combine.

Step 6

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened. Batter is thick and some lumps will remain, don’t overmix.

Step 7

Fold the cream cheese mixture into the muffin batter, being careful not to overmix. Some streaks of cream cheese should remain.

Step 8

Turn batter out into prepared pan, filling each cavity about two-thirds full.

Step 9

Evenly sprinkle each muffin with the crumb topping.

Step 10

Bake for about 17 to 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter, Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, or until they’ve firmed up and are cool enough to handle, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days (I’m comfortable storing baked good with cream cheese at room temp, but use the fridge if you prefer), or in the freezer for up to 4 months.