Quick Strawberry Muffins

Along with the month of June comes the anticipation of fresh local strawberries and in a few short weeks these sweet fragrant berries will be ripe for the picking.  Along with old favourite strawberry recipes I aim to try at least one new recipe during strawberry season.

I found two recipes for strawberry muffins and guess you can say I gave them a trial run with strawberries from the grocery store.  Store bought strawberries haven’t been particularly good in the past few weeks so I’m more than anxious for this year’s local crop.

A recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins was the first I tried this week, absolutely delicious but very time consuming to make.  I’ll keep the recipe for more special occasions since it wouldn’t be the recipe of choice for a quick batch of muffins. 

Only a few minutes to put together, simple ingredients and the promise of something delicious coming from the oven was incentive enough to try the second recipe for Quick Strawberry Muffins.
Not having any whole milk called for in the recipe, the half and half  (ten percent cream) in the fridge seemed to be the best alternative. 

Strawberries and cream...who needs the whole milk!

Quick Strawberry Muffins
2 cups flour
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup oil (or butter melted and cooled)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Topping
2 tablespoons coarse sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon for topping and set aside.
2. Wash and chop enough strawberries to measure I cup.
3. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. In a separate bowl beat together milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract.
5. Combine dry and wet ingredients just until combined, stir in strawberries. (batter will be thick.)
6. Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin cups.
7. Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over muffins.
8. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Remove from muffin pan and cool on wire rack.

 




Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• After washing and chopping strawberries, place on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
• The coarse sugar/cinnamon mixture makes a perfectly tasty, crunchy topping.
• Recipe makes about 7 gorgeous huge muffins, 9 beautiful large muffins or 12 cute regular size muffins! 
• I already see these strawberry muffins easily become peach muffins later on in the summer.