Description
Sour cherry muffins bring delightful European bakery charm straight to home kitchens with their sweet-tart flavor profile. Crumbly, golden batter studded with juicy cherries promises a perfect breakfast or afternoon treat you’ll savor with pure culinary pleasure.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a muffin tin with paper liners or cooking spray.
- Sift together dry ingredients in a spacious mixing bowl, creating a uniform flour mixture with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk wet ingredients separately, blending melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well-incorporated.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring minimally to prevent overmixing and maintain a tender muffin texture.
- Create the sour cherry filling by combining cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir the cherry mixture continuously until it thickens and reaches a jam-like consistency, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Distribute half the muffin batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, creating a base layer.
- Spoon a dollop of cherry filling into the center of each muffin cup, ensuring even distribution.
- Cover the cherry filling with remaining muffin batter, completely concealing the fruity center.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, checking for golden-brown tops and inserting a toothpick to confirm doneness.
- Remove muffins from the oven and let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Achieve tender muffins by gently folding wet and dry ingredients, avoiding overmixing which can create tough, dense textures.
- Prevent cherry filling from sinking by coating fresh or frozen cherries lightly in flour before adding to the batter, ensuring even distribution.
- Enhance flavor complexity by using tart morello cherries or adding a splash of almond extract to complement the fruit’s natural sweetness.
- Modify for dietary needs by substituting gluten-free flour blend, using dairy-free buttermilk alternative, or reducing sugar for a less sweet version.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 82 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 34 mg