Strawberry Muffins

When spring arrives and fresh strawberries are abundant at the market, I love to bake a big batch of strawberry muffins.  Easy to put together, strawberry muffins bake up quickly and freeze well. So one recipe’s worth makes enough to share or to stash away for hurried mornings.

These muffins have remained a spring standard at our house for many, many years. I like them because they use pantry ingredients that I almost always have on hand.  And they combine simple preparation and pretty presentation, a winning duo.

A Healthy Approach

I adapted this recipe from one by Jane Brody, a longtime (recently retired) health columnist for the New York Times and author of several cookbooks.  Her Good Food Gourmet is a cookbook I turn to when I’m looking for a dish that is tasty but also wholesome.

While many muffin recipes can be cakes in small packages, Brody brings in healthful elements.  In this recipe, she calls for a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.  I used whole wheat pastry flour, which has a slightly finer consistency and works well in baking.  She also uses apple juice as one of the sweeteners, calling for less refined sugar than a typical breakfast muffin recipe would.

Berry Best

Looking at these baked beauties, there is no doubt that strawberries are a star, as each muffin is topped with a fresh strawberry slice.  More chopped strawberries flavor the batter and give the muffins a springtime perfume of fresh fruit. Berries that are on the smaller side work best with this recipe, so that each muffin has a heart-shaped slice of fruit centered right on top.

When the muffins emerge from the oven, the kitchen fills with sweet smells of berries and a touch of cinnamon.

Warm out of the oven, the muffins are tender yet filling.  Strawberries sweeten every bite. Once cool, the muffins are ready for freezer storage for future breakfasts or snacks.

These strawberry muffins are a great addition to brunch menus and popular with eaters of all ages. What a fun and delicious way to celebrate spring.

Strawberry Muffins

Dawn Dobie

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, brunch

Servings 20 muffins

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg white
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup apple cider or apple juice
• ½ cup canola oil
• 24 strawberry slices
• 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries cut in 1/2 inch pieces

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
• Slice the strawberries about 1/16 inch thick. Put aside 18-24 middle slices (that look like hearts). Chop the remaining strawberries into 1/2-inch pieces until you have about 1 1/2 cups worth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to combine thoroughly.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg white and whole eggs together until they are well mixed. Beat in the apple cider or juice and the oil until well blended.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring the ingredients just until they are moist.
• Gently stir in the chopped strawberries. Divide the batter among 18-24 greased muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. (I use an ice cream scoop for this task.) Top each muffin cup of batter with a reserved strawberry slice.
• Place the muffin tins in the oven and bake the muffins for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown and tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
• Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and allow to cool further on racks.

Notes

Adapted from Good Food Gourmet by Jane Brody.

These muffins freeze well. After cooling completely, transfer muffins to an air-proof container or freezer bag.

Keyword muffins