Growing up, I could always count on there being muffins when we visited Granny. One of my fondest memories is sitting in her kitchen tastefully decorated with her signature chicken statues and bird clock on the wall. Her signature muffins were huge and sweet, fluffy yet dense, moist yet structurally sound, and oh-so-delicious.
If you’re looking for a sweet breakfast or a refreshing snack for the grandkids, these strawberry-lemon muffins are perfect for the job.
Strawberry-Lemon Muffins
Credit: “strawberry lemon muffins” by Kyleigh Sage of barleyandsage.com
Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup almond flour, substitute all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, diced (or 2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed and chopped)
Equipment:
Muffin pan
Muffin liners
Sifter
Whisk
Yields: 12 regular-sized muffins
Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 375°F.
2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest and whisk until combined and smooth.
3) In a separate small bowl, sift together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add about ¼ cup of the flour mixture to the strawberries and toss to coat. This helps prevent the strawberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
4) Add half of the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Mix in the milk then stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Afterward, gently fold in the strawberries.
5) Spoon the batter into your muffin cups until they are about ⅔ full and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes. Rotate the pan about halfway through to brown the muffins evenly.
6) Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
*Sage notes that due to the high moisture content of these muffins, they will mold quickly. Please store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
QnA:
How do I know when the muffins are done?
Similar to testing a cake or brownies, insert a toothpick into a muffin and if it comes out clean (or mostly clean), the muffins are ready.
Any other tips?
Be mindful not to over-mix your batter. Just like when baking bread, the muffins can become dense and borderline inedible if you overmix the batter. Whenever you begin to see the white streaks of the flour and baking powder disappear, you’ve mixed enough.
Be sure to grease the bottoms and lower halves of your muffin liners, ensuring you’ll have less trouble getting them out of the wrapper.
Additionally, if you’re trying to cut down on fats, try substituting a small amount of sugar and oil with applesauce. This way, you’ll have fewer calories and fat per muffin.
