Mindy Carlson

My boys love strawberries. Nothing delights them more than when strawberry season is in full swing and we can go berry picking.  For several days now the youngest has been asking for strawberry muffins. He’s gotten tired of the usual blueberry, my slam bang cinnamon muffins “aren’t spring muffins, Mommy,” and the chocolate chip variety is, shockingly, starting to lose its luster as well.

“But I don’t have a strawberry muffin recipe,” I said.

“Make one up!”

So I did.

I took a variety of fruit muffin recipes and figured out what they had in common that made them work. Then I road tested my own version with strawberries.  The results were amazing. A fluffy, moist, delicate crumb loaded with punchinthemouth strawberry flavor. And I used only fresh strawberries! No extracts or jams!

So, here we go…

Strawberry Muffins

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or 1/2 cup butter)
• 1 cup white sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or a packet (1 Tbs) of vanilla sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 & 1/2 cups diced strawberries, fresh only, coated in 1 T flour
  

Preheat the oven to 375F/180C (170C if you have a fan oven setting). Line a muffin tin with paper liners. I don’t recommend buttering or spraying the tin instead of using the liners. These have a tendency to stick because of the strawberries and you will cry.

First cream the oil and sugar together. [Butter is fine as a replacement, but be aware that you won’t get the rise I did. And don’t add more baking powder because you will end up with a metallic aftertaste.]

Add the eggs, one at a time, blending very well between each. Then add the vanilla and cream it all together.

Add the baking powder and salt and give them a quick stir to incorporate them just a bit into the butter/sugar/eggs. Then add the flour and mix very well. As soon as it starts getting too thick to stir add the heavy cream.  Blend it together until just smooth. Mixing it too much will cause the gluten in the flour to activate and the muffins will be tough.

Add the flour-coated strawberries and fold them carefully into the muffin mix until evenly distributed. The flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom as the bake.

This batter will be thick. Do not panic and do not add more cream.  The strawberries will release more liquid into the batter as they cook. If you add more liquid they will just fall apart when you unwrap them. Again, you will cry.

Fill the muffin tins to a generous 3/4 of the way full and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

Once done remove them from the tins and cool on a rack.

These are so delicious. They are almost into cupcake territory with how good they are. And like all muffins they are best enjoyed at all times of the day.

Today the boys are getting them as a snack. I hope they are as delighted with them as I was. Let me tell you, there won’t be leftovers.