Kitchen Little Essentials
For this recipe, you’ll need:
A great muffin recipe is really nice to have in your back pocket, I think, and this one is just that – it’s really great. These Juicy Strawberry Honey Muffins make for an ideal contribution to your breakfast, brunch, lunch, or event dinner tables. Moist (sorry to those of your who abhor the word), light as air, and boasting a perfectly tender crumb, these are my go-to’s.
I double-down on the strawberry flavor by swirling in some strawberry jam along with the fresh berries, and it’s this jam that gives the muffins that “juicy” quality … almost mimicking the berries themselves. The difference the jam makes is remarkable. If you’d like, you can sub in blueberries and blueberry jam or raspberries and raspberry jam – you get the picture.
I whipped up a batch of these on Sunday morning to take to a fun Easter brunch that we shared with friends who live just a few blocks away from us. We walked to their house on what has to have been the loveliest day of the year so far, and as we strolled, we paid proper attention to the blossoming world around us, happily remarking on the new spattering of flowers and that distinctive spring green color that had just begun creeping all over the tips of the tree branches. My appreciation for spring truly tends to grow with each passing year. That explosion of re-birth – the awakening of the world – never, ever gets old.
Along with some frittatas, crispy potatoes, smoky bacon, and a huge bowl of fruit salad, we noshed on these strawberry muffins, slathered with sweet honey butter. They were met with rave reviews and I hope you guys get the chance to make them soon!
These are sweetened mostly with honey, and I add just a little sugar to really help those berries be the best they can be. After filling my (only 3/4 of the way please) I sneak a little more jam/berry filling on top and send them into the oven. I also make a whole wheat version that is sweetened only with honey, which is also a nice recipe. However, these always tend to disappear the fastest and as far as classic muffin recipes go – this one is where it’s at.
Juicy Strawberry Honey Muffins
Sweetened primarily with honey and bursting with strawberry goodness (thanks to the addition of strawberry jam), these muffins are light and fluffy and tender and everything you want out of a great go-to muffin recipe.
Ingredients
· Paper liners
½ cup butter melted (one stick)
½ cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
½ cup plain Greek yogurt (can sub regular yogurt, or sour cream)
½ cup buttermilk
3 tsp vanilla extract (this is a lot, so if you want to just do 2 … that’s okay)
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup diced strawberry pieces
½ cup strawberry jam
1 TBSP lemon zest
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 to 16 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, honey, sugar, yogurt, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir just until everything is well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the strawberry bits, jam, and the lemon zest. Fold this berry mixture into the muffin batter, creating a swirled effect. NOTE: I like to reserve some to drop on the tops of the muffins once they’re all in their cups, just before putting them in the oven.
4. Bake the muffins for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
