Strawberry Almond Muffins combine the vibrant tartness of just-picked strawberries with the delicate sweetness of almonds.  Whip these up in the morning and you'll have a lovely breakfast treat in under 45 minutes!

If you ask me, this time of year -- the few weeks between late May and mid-June -- is the very best time to be in the Northeast.  The days are still pleasantly cool in the morning, but the temperatures warm up by mid-morning. We're more likely to have sunshine than not.  The oppressive humidity of July and August hasn't yet rolled in.  The azaleas are in bloom and the smell of fresh-cut grass is in the air.  And the farmer's market?  Every week, it's bursting with spring produce, like the lovely strawberries in these Strawberry Almond Muffins.  

These muffins are the perfect way to use those ripe, just-picked strawberries. Farm-fresh strawberries tend to be a bit sweeter and juicier than the berries sold in the supermarket.  Even so, they're still slightly tart.  I found the tartness to be a refreshing contrast to the sweet undertones of the almond extract.  Given that the berries were so ripe, I tried to be extra gentle when folding them into the batter.  I didn't want to end up with pink batter!

Do you remember the Blueberry Lemon Muffins I shared in this post?  It took me several tries to get those muffins to turn out.  Not so with these Strawberry Almond Muffins.  They came out perfectly on the very first try.  Moist and flavorful, with the perfect amount of sweetness.  Rich, but not too decadent.  I based the recipe off of my blueberry lemon muffin recipe, so all that experimentation definitely paid off. 

(click here for printable recipe)

Strawberry Almond Muffins

By The Land of Milk 'n' Cookies
Strawberry Almond Muffins combine the vibrant tartness of just-picked strawberries with the delicate sweetness of almonds. Whip these up in the morning and you'll have a lovely breakfast treat in under 45 minutes! 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 7 tablespoons  unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large  egg
• 1 large  egg yolk
• 1 cup  plain Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons  almond extract
• 1 cup  fresh strawberries, diced*
• 1/4 cup  sliced raw almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners (please note that this recipe makes about 16 muffins, so you may need two pans).
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat together 7 tablespoons of softened butter and 2/3 cup sugar.  Continue beating about 2 minutes, until light and creamy.  Beat in egg and yolk until combined.  Add yogurt and almond extract and continue beating until fully incorporated. 
4. Pour half of dry mixture over the wet ingredients.  With a wooden spoon, stir gently for five or six strokes.  Then, add in remaining dry ingredients and stir another five or six times, just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Batter will be quite thick.  Gently fold in strawberries, stirring as little as possible.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a cookie scoop, fill muffin tins with batter.  Sprinkle almonds over the batter. 
5. Bake muffins for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove to cooling racks.  Muffins are best enjoyed right from the oven, but will remain fresh for up to three days when stored in a loosely covered (not airtight) container. 
    
Yield: 16 muffins



Notes: It is best to dice the strawberries before measuring.  


(click here for printable recipe)


Thanks for reading, friends!  What have you been buying recently from the farmer's market?