We went strawberry picking on the weekend at Strawberry Creek Farms. Much to our surprise (and slight disappointment) they did not have a good year and the basket of strawberries that we picked was free. Part of me thought I should go back and pick some more since it was free, but the other part of me realized that there really wasn't much to pick and it took quite awhile to fill the little basket we had.
Thanks to my husband we were able to enjoy some delicious strawberry-banana shakes and I had just enough left over to make muffins this morning. The recipes I've tried in the past never really made much of an impression. I needed something better for my little one who started in a new room at daycare today (and was not very happy about it). I wanted a delicious treat waiting for us when we got home.
I took to my trusty friend Google and found a recipe by Ina Garten I knew would be amazing (as her recipes tend to be). I didn't have enough strawberries, so I added some blueberries. These muffins turned out so amazing. They had a nice crust on the top but were so moist in the center. My husband must have polished off 4 within the first 30 minutes. My little one could have had two or three as well. They are just that delicious. I'd say we finished off half the muffins just this afternoon.
So here is the recipe (made with real Canadian fruit!)
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1-1/4 cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups diced fresh berries
(I used 1-1/2 cups strawberries and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, rinsed)
1-1/2 cups sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir with your hand to be sure the ingredients are well-combined.
3. In a large mixing glass (2 cup) combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, pour the wet mixture into the well, and stir until just combined. There will be some lumps, but don't overmix the batter. Add the berries and sugar and stir gently to combine (fold them in gently).
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins with a tablespoon. Fill the liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned.
Makes 24 delicious muffins.
