Photo courtesy of Sarah Culver Photography I love strawberries. One day, I hope to have a very large part of my yard/home devoted to growing these delicious ruby-red fruit gems. For one reason or another, I have failed to utilize these superb berries in many baked goods. Perhaps it's because I just really like to eat them raw, straight from the patch. In any case, this recipe has kind of changed my mind. These muffins are light, not overly sweet, and studded with berryliciousness. Unlike so many fruit muffins, the batter is nice and thick and prevents the fruit from all sinking to the bottom of the muffin cup. They puff up beautifully and are perfect for a nice snack or even a fun breakfast.
I'm really sorry that I don't have a picture of the actual muffin; they were actually made as a gift and the few we reserved for our own consumption...well, they didn't last very long... :) But, look at these gorgeous strawberries! And think how amazing muffins are. How could this possibly not be awesome?!
Strawberry Muffins
makes about 18 regular-sized muffins
adapted from jasonandshawnda.com
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup cane sugar (I would probably substitute about half with maple syrup or honey next time and then lessen the total amount since the honey/maple syrup would be a bit sweeter)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
lemon zest (I did not do this, but definitely would next time...zest from about half a lemon)
1 1/2 cups plain, full-fat Greek yogurt (sour cream would also probably work)
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen; I quartered most of them and then cut those quarters in half, horizontally, so that I ended up with squarish "chunks")
coarse sugar for tops, if you desire (I used vanilla lavender sugar)
Preheat oven to 375*F and line your muffin tin with paper liners. Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well after each addition. Then add the vanilla and almond extracts and lemon zest.
Starting with the flour mix, beat in a third of the dry ingredients followed by a third of the yogurt. Keep mixing and alternating dry ingredients and yogurt until combined. The batter is going to be super thick - that's just what you want!
Toss your strawberry chunks with about a tablespoon of flour and then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Divide the batter evening into the muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar, if you'd like. Bake for about 18-24 minutes, until golden brown on tope and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about five minutes in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack.
These babies should also freeze great; just reheat in a 325-250*F oven for about 10 minutes. What are you waiting for? Make these...right now...
Strawberry Muffins
makes about 18 regular-sized muffins
adapted from jasonandshawnda.com
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup cane sugar (I would probably substitute about half with maple syrup or honey next time and then lessen the total amount since the honey/maple syrup would be a bit sweeter)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
lemon zest (I did not do this, but definitely would next time...zest from about half a lemon)
1 1/2 cups plain, full-fat Greek yogurt (sour cream would also probably work)
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen; I quartered most of them and then cut those quarters in half, horizontally, so that I ended up with squarish "chunks")
coarse sugar for tops, if you desire (I used vanilla lavender sugar)
Preheat oven to 375*F and line your muffin tin with paper liners. Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well after each addition. Then add the vanilla and almond extracts and lemon zest.
Starting with the flour mix, beat in a third of the dry ingredients followed by a third of the yogurt. Keep mixing and alternating dry ingredients and yogurt until combined. The batter is going to be super thick - that's just what you want!
Toss your strawberry chunks with about a tablespoon of flour and then gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Divide the batter evening into the muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar, if you'd like. Bake for about 18-24 minutes, until golden brown on tope and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about five minutes in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack.
These babies should also freeze great; just reheat in a 325-250*F oven for about 10 minutes. What are you waiting for? Make these...right now...