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Strawberry Muffins Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Strawberry Muffins Recipe

I started making these strawberry muffins in the summer. I couldn't stop buying berries from the farmers market, and I've been hooked ever since. Every bite is soft, buttery, and packed with juicy fruit in every direction. I add a touch of almond extract along with the vanilla, and honestly, that's the little trick that makes people ask for the recipe
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Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour divided – the extra 2 teaspoons get tossed with the strawberries so they don't sink to the bottom
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder – gives the muffins their tall domed bakery-style rise
  • ¾ teaspoon salt – balances the sweetness and wakes up the other flavors
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened – softened butter creams properly and gives a tender crumb; don't use melted, it changes the texture
  • 1 cup granulated sugar – creaming it with the butter builds air into the batter for a lighter muffin
  • 2 large eggs room temperature – cold eggs can make the batter look curdled, so let them sit out for 20 minutes first
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract – use real vanilla extract not imitation, for the best flavor
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract – this is optional but it's the flavor booster that makes these muffins stand out
  • ½ cup milk – whole milk gives the richest result though 2% works fine too
  • 2¼ cups diced fresh strawberries about 1 pint, divided – fresh berries hold their shape far better than frozen, which bleed color and turn the batter mushy
  • 2 tablespoons demerara or turbinado sugar – sprinkled on top for that crunchy sparkly bakery finish

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F before you do anything else. Line your muffin tin with paper liners, then give the liners a light spray with non-stick cooking spray. This extra spray step keeps the berries from sticking even when their juices bubble up during baking.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Whisking evenly distributes the leavening agent so your muffins rise uniformly. Set this bowl aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
  3. In your mixer bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together for about 2 minutes until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. This step traps tiny air pockets that give the muffins their light structure. Don't rush it, since a full 2 minutes really does make a difference.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. The batter might look slightly grainy at this stage, and that's completely normal.
  5. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with flour. This gradual method keeps the batter smooth and prevents you from overmixing, which is the main cause of dense, tough muffins.
  6. Toss your diced strawberries with the reserved 2 teaspoons of flour so they're lightly coated. Set aside about ½ cup of berries for topping, then fold the rest into the batter with a spatula using just a few gentle turns. The flour coating keeps them suspended instead of sinking to the bottom.
  7. Scoop the batter into your prepared muffin tin; the cups will be quite full, which is exactly what you want for a nice domed top. Scatter the reserved strawberries over each one, then sprinkle turbinado sugar across the center, keeping it away from the paper edges so nothing sticks to the pan.
  8. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the edges seem stuck to the liner, run a knife gently around the rim to loosen them before cooling.
  9. Let the muffins rest in the pan for about 25 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. This resting time lets the crumb set properly so the muffins don't fall apart when you lift them out.

Notes

  • I always dice my strawberries fairly small since large chunks tend to sink and make the muffins gummy where they land
  • I never skip tossing the berries in flour first, because that one step really does keep them evenly spread through the batter
  • I use room-temperature eggs and milk so the batter comes together smoothly instead of looking curdled
  • I fill my muffin cups almost to the top for that bakery-style domed look everyone loves
  • I let the muffins cool in the pan first instead of rushing them onto a rack, since it keeps them from breaking apart