MuffinsAmericanEasy

Strawberry Muffins

Name: Strawberry Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder; ¼ tsp (1½ g) fine sea salt; 5 tbsp (75 g) unsalted butter, melted, melted and cooled slightly; 2 large eggs, at room temperature, at room temperature; 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature, at room temperature; 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract; 1 tsp (2 g) fresh lemon zest, finely grated; 10 oz (280 g) fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered, dried well; ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour; 2½ tbsp (30 g) granulated sugar; 2 tbsp (30 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, cake-like muffins studded with fresh strawberries and finished with a light crumb topping. The strawberries stay plump and sweet throughout baking, and a touch of vanilla and lemon zest brighten the crumb. Perfect for breakfast or a simple afternoon snack.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 22 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 42 min
Makes: 12 muffins

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Steps

Before you start

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners
Bring eggs and buttermilk to room temperature (30 minutes)
Gently rinse and dry strawberries; quarter them just before mixing

1
Make the crumb topping
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour (40 g) and sugar (30 g) for the topping.
- Add the cold butter cubes and pinch the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized butter pieces
Tip: Keep the butter cold so the topping stays crumbly and doesn't turn to paste.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour (250 g), sugar (150 g), baking powder, and salt until well combined and no lumps of baking powder remain.
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Ready when: No visible baking powder lumps and mixture is evenly distributed
3
Combine wet ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until fully combined and the mixture is smooth.
- Do not overmix.
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Ready when: Liquid ingredients are fully whisked together and homogeneous
4
Mix batter gently
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold gently until just combined.
- The batter should be slightly lumpy; stop as soon as you don't see dry flour.
- Do not overmix, which toughens the muffins.
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Ready when: No visible dry flour streaks; lumps of batter remain
Tip: Overmixing activates gluten and creates tough, dense muffins. Stop while the batter still looks a bit shaggy.
5
Fold in strawberries
- Add the quartered strawberries to the batter and gently fold them in using 4–5 strokes with the spatula.
- Some strawberry pieces will break, and that's fine; you want them evenly distributed.
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Ready when: Strawberries are scattered throughout the batter
Tip: Coat the strawberries lightly with a bit of flour from the dry mixture before folding to help them stay suspended and prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
6
Fill muffin cups
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 lined muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full (roughly 3 tbsp per muffin).
- Top each muffin with about 1 tbsp of the crumb topping, pressing it gently so it adheres.
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Ready when: All 12 cups are filled and topped evenly
Tip: Fill any empty cups halfway with water to ensure even heat distribution and prevent the muffin tin from warping.
7
Bake muffinsOven 375°F / 190°C
- Place the muffin tin in the preheated 375°F (190°C) oven.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, until the muffins are risen and the tops are golden brown.
- A wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
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Ready when: Tops are golden brown; a wooden pick shows a few moist crumbs but no wet batter
Tip: If the tops brown too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so start checking at 18 minutes.
8
Cool in tin, then turn out
- Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- This allows them to set enough to handle without breaking.
- Then turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Ready when: Muffins are firm enough to turn out without cracking
Tip: Don't skip this cooling step; muffins pulled out too hot will stick and tear.

Good to know

Tips

For the juiciest strawberries, use them ripe and at peak season (spring–early summer). Off-season berries can be bland; frozen or a fruit substitution may work better.
Pat the strawberries dry after rinsing and quartering; excess moisture can make the batter wet and the muffins gummy. Tossing them in a pinch of flour also helps them suspend evenly.
Don't overmix the batter once the dry and wet ingredients meet. Gentle folding preserves the tender, cake-like texture. A few lumps are your friend.
Distribute the crumb topping evenly so every muffin has a crispy, cinnamon-sugar-like crown. The butter in the topping makes it golden and delicious.

Make ahead

Batter can be mixed and portioned into muffin cups up to 4 hours ahead; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Add 2–3 minutes to baking time if baking from cold. Baked muffins freeze well for up to 3 months.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature (in an airtight container): up to 2 days. Refrigerator: up to 4 days. Freezer (individually wrapped or in a freezer bag): up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1 hour or reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.

Substitutions

buttermilk, at room temperature → Plain yogurt or sour cream (thinned with 2 tbsp milk). These provide the same tender crumb and slight tang. Use the same volume.
fresh strawberries, hulled → Frozen strawberries (thawed and drained well) or fresh blueberries. Frozen strawberries work well but release more liquid; drain them thoroughly on paper towels. Blueberries don't need coating in flour and hold their shape better.
fresh lemon zest → 1 tsp vanilla extract (increase vanilla to 2 tsp total, omit this zest). The zest brightens the flavor, but vanilla alone still makes a delicious muffin.
unsalted butter, melted → Neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or light olive oil). Use the same weight/volume. Oil makes muffins slightly more moist and tender. Reduce to 4 tbsp (60 g) if you prefer a less rich crumb.