For anyone new to muffins, here’s a quick introduction. American-style muffins are usually made with baking powder or baking soda and have the familiar rounded top. English muffins, on the other hand, are yeast-based, flatter, and cooked differently.
American muffins can range from less-sweet, bread-like versions to sweeter, cake-like muffins. Once you have a basic muffin recipe, you can create many variations by adding fruits, nuts, chocolate, or other flavors.
I started enjoying muffins after coming to the US, where there are so many varieties served for breakfast. I especially love the combination of a soft, cake-like center and a lightly crisp muffin top.
This was my attempt at making Strawberry Muffins with fresh strawberries. Fresh fruit naturally releases some moisture while baking, so seeing slightly moist areas around the strawberry pieces is normal. Lightly coating the strawberries with flour and making sure they are well dried before adding them to the batter can help control excess moisture.
Strawberry Muffins
Recipe Details
Muffin / Breakfast
American
Sashi
20–30 minutes
12 regular or 24 mini muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- Fresh strawberries – 2 cups, cut into bite-sized pieces
- All-purpose flour – 2 cups, plus about 1 1/2 tsp for coating the strawberries
- Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Butter – 1/2 cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Eggs – 2 (optional)
- Pure vanilla extract – 2 tsp
- Milk – 1/2 cup
For the Muffin Pan
- Butter or cooking oil spray – as needed for greasing
Equipment
- 12-cup regular muffin pan or 24-cup mini muffin pan
- Paper muffin liners (optional)
- Electric hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Toothpick
- Wire cooling rack
Preparation
- Wash the strawberries and dry them thoroughly.
- Cut the strawberries into small bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the strawberry pieces gently with about 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour so they are lightly coated. Keep aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Grease the muffin pan lightly with butter or cooking spray. You can also use paper liners and lightly grease them if desired.
Mixing the Batter
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, if using, and beat until combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix briefly.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until partially combined.
- Add the milk and mix until the batter comes together.
- Do not overmix the batter, as this can make the muffins dense or tough.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour-coated strawberries into the batter.
Baking Instructions
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups using an ice cream scoop or two spoons.
- For mini muffins, bake for about 20–25 minutes.
- For regular muffins, bake for about 25–30 minutes.
- Rotate the muffin pan halfway through baking for more even browning.
- Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. The muffins are ready when the toothpick comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack.
- Allow the muffins to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and continue cooling on the wire rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
Fresh Strawberry Moisture: A slightly moist area around baked strawberry pieces is normal because fresh strawberries release juice as they heat.
Dry the Strawberries: After washing, dry the berries thoroughly before cutting them. Excess surface water can make the muffins wetter.
Coat with Flour: Lightly coating the strawberry pieces with flour helps distribute them throughout the batter and absorbs some surface moisture.
Do Not Overmix: Once the flour and milk are added, mix only until combined. Overmixing can make the muffins tough rather than soft.
Fruit Variations: The same basic recipe can be adapted with blueberries, raspberries, chopped peaches, or other baking-friendly fruits.
Storage
Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container. Because these muffins contain fresh fruit, refrigeration is a good option for longer storage. Warm refrigerated muffins in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds before serving, if desired.
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