Strawberry Almond Muffins

Strawberry Almond Muffin - Photo by Michelle Judd of Taste As You Go
Strawberry Almond Muffin

These days, like so many other people I know, I've been trying to cut back on the extras in order to keep more of my money where it belongs -- in my pocket. For me, extras included enjoying an occasional morning muffin from the deli and buying my lunch rather than bringing in something from home. Last weekend, I decided to put an end to the purchased morning muffin. Instead, I would bake up a batch of muffins at home, freeze them, and pull them out whenever I wanted one.

Batter for Strawberry Almond Muffins - Photo by Michelle Judd of Taste As You Go
Batter for Strawberry Almond Muffins

I've been holding onto this recipe for Strawberry Almond Muffins for a while now. I wasn't satisfied with how they turned out the first time I tried the recipe (they didn't rise as much as I expected and the muffins were too wet on the inside after 20 minutes of baking), so I made some adjustments and tried again. The major adjustment I made was substituting dried strawberries for the fresh strawberries, and that seemed to help a lot. The muffins were delicious and helped me get through a crazy and stressful week at work. I have just enough leftover to enjoy tomorrow with my Sunday morning coffee. They're perfect for breakfast on the go or for a leisurely brunch with family or friends. I hope you enjoy them!

Strawberry Almond Muffin - Photo by Taste As You Go
Strawberry Almond Muffin

Strawberry Almond Muffins
Printable Recipe


INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 ounces strawberry yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 5 ounces dried strawberries, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tin with muffin liners.
  2. Toast almonds in a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a hand-mixer until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.
  4. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
  5. In a third bowl, combine the yogurt, vanilla, and milk.
  6. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. Mix until ingredients are just combined. Add 1/3 of the wet ingredients and beat until just smooth. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in this manner until everything has been combined.
  7. In another bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the batter.
  8. Fold in the strawberries and almonds.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  10. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing the muffins to cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Food Tip: Before folding the strawberries into the batter, toss them in flour, shaking off any excess. This will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin tin during baking.


Almonds on Foodista

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Comments

Shelby said…
Sounds delicious! Good idea on making your own muffins...I have been not eating lunch out at all the last 2 weeks and have saved quite a bit! I can't give my 1 or 2 a week afternoon coffee breaks up though...not just yet. I'm too addicted to lattes (sugar and fat free of course!)
HoneyB - I'm definitely saving money by not buying the muffins on my way to work in the morning. They're $1.75 a pop! Then again, those muffins are twice the size of the ones I baked at home... As for coffee, I can still get that at the office for free. ;-)
smart cookie -er I mean muffin....the little dollars here and there add up quickly
doggybloggy - Ha! Those dollars really do add up quickly. Now, if I can just keep making muffins at home and bringing them into work...
gail said…
yum yum! I'm an almond addict...
When you bake them they feel and taste better than purchased.
Always homemade is more delicious…lovely flavors strawberry almond muffins!!
gail - I'm an almond addict, too. I love them in everything!

Gera - You're right. Homemade muffins (and any other baked good) do taste better than the kind you could buy in the store. Must be all the fresh ingredients and all the time and love that go into them that make them taste so delicious!
Sue said…
That is a cool idea to use strawberry yogurt. And then I guess the variations could be endless. You could any other fruit yogurt and dried fruit. Blueberry would be great, apricots...yummy. And, of course, you could use different nuts too. I love recipes that offer lots of possibilities.
Sue - Wish I could say the idea to use yogurt was mine! But it definitely adds a depth to the flavor of the muffin. The original recipe called for strawberry banana yogurt, but I found the banana flavor over-powered the strawberries in the first batch.

And, I'm like you. I love when I come across a recipe that can be shaped to accommodate a wide variety of flavor combinations!
Sapuche said…
Your muffin recipe looks fantastic. If it were me making them, I'm not sure I'd get past the batter stage. The batter looks like frosting, which of course is great for sticking one's fingers in...and then licking them clean. I also worry that all the toasted almonds would disappear before it was time to fold them into the mixture. Thanks for sharing this!
Sapuche - Until you mentioned it, I hadn't really thought that the batter looked like frosting! I looked at the picture again and I have to agree with you As for the almonds, I was definitely picking at them while I was preparing the batter! ;-)

Thanks for stopping by!
Talita said…
Michelle, your muffin looks fabulous! Looks so moist and rich! I love it!
Talita - Thank you! They're even better served warm with a little bit of strawberry butter! Delicious!! :-)
Karly said…
These sound delicious! I love strawberries and almonds!
Karly - Thanks! I love the combination of strawberries and almonds, too!