Strawberry Season

One of my most favorite part of Spring in North Carolina is strawberry season. We live very close to some pick-your-own strawberry fields and I must admit we indulge quite frequently.

There is nothing like a ripe strawberry, straight from the field. They are nothing like the ones sold in stores, which can be overly firm and pale and lacking in flavor. Fresh from the plant, their hearts are a deep pink, they are tender and juicy.

We love them by the handful, or sliced on top of granola with yogurt. We love them on our waffles and pancakes and of course, on top of vanilla ice cream.

We do like to pick our own at least once a season, but it’s even nicer to grab a pre-picked bucket. Our favorite strawberries come from Porter Farms and Nursery. They have 2 locations in our area. One is located on Ten-Ten road and Lake Wheeler and there is a larger farm located on Highway 42 that also has an ice cream shop that sells homemade ice cream.

Once you have brought home your bucket of beautiful berries, the question is how best to clean and store the berries to extend their life.

I have tried a variety of methods to clean and preserve berries until I found what I consider to be the best. Of course, berries taste the best before they are refrigerated, but in the South, one cannot keep things on the kitchen counter for long at all before they grow fuzz.

So the best way I find to extend their lives is by following these steps. I lay out paper towels along a countertop and get out a cutting board and a good sharp knife. I rinse the berries a handful at a time, then cut of the stems and leaves.

Moisture is a strawberry’s enemy, so I gently dry each one and place them on a paper towel to dry even more, like a tiny strawberry army.

Once they have dried, I then place them in a large plastic container, one layer at a time, being careful not to crowd them so they don’t bruise.

They can then be stored in this airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

Most often, our strawberries get gobbled up before I have a chance to try baking with them, but I recently tried out a recipe for strawberry muffins – strawberry coffee cake muffins, to be exact.

I’m not going to lie to you – there are some extra steps in these muffins, but they really are delicious and would go great with your Easter brunch.

What makes these muffins coffee cake muffins is a delicious crumbly topping that give them a little something extra.

I tried these muffins out a couple of times, adjusting as I went. I learned a few things along the way.

One of the first things I discovered is that the strawberries tend to sink to the bottom of the muffin. I remembered a recipe I tried years ago that called for “alienated” blueberries. Basically, you toss the berries in some flour and this allows them to bake throughout the muffin, rather than sinking. So, I did this the second go-around and it worked very well.

If you have been following me, you know my aversion to the electric mixer, but it is necessary with the recipe. It is helpful in creaming your butter and sugars for the muffins, and essential in creating the crumb topping.

Another note on the crumb topping – it is essential to use cold butter to make the crumble. Your kitchen temperature can also vastly affect the outcome of your crumbs.

When I first attempted these, it was a very warm day but the pollen was in full swing, so I kept my windows closed. I had also not yet succumbed to turning on the air conditioning, so my kitchen was very warm. As I attempted to make the crumb topping, it became too creamy, not crumbly. On the second attempt, I made sure my house was cooler in general and it was not a problem.

I also chose to add Light Muscovado sugar to both the muffin and the crumb topping. I learned about this sugar this summer while in New York City. I had the best blueberry muffin I have ever had and wanted to duplicate it at home. The chef would not divulge his secrets, but did say this particular sugar played a big role. So I bought some and started playing with it.

Basically, Muscavado sugar is less refined with more molasses content, similar to brown sugar. It adds a slightly different depth to your muffins.

Another thing I learned from the recipe I used was a little trick with oven temperature. You heat the oven at a higher temp, then lower just before popping the muffins in to bake. I didn’t understand this so I researched it.

The theory is that by starting the oven at a higher temperature, you allow the muffins to rise more and get a crispier crust. Once the temp is dropped, this allows for a fluffier center.

Now that I am aware of this trick, I may try it with other muffins and quick breads, too.

I also learned that the muffins are indeed better enjoyed the same day, but can be kept up to 2 days.

If you are hoping to try something new with your strawberries this season, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. I’d love to know what you think.

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyIntermediate

Yields1 Serving
Prep Time30 minsCook Time20 minsTotal Time50 mins

Muffins:
 ¼ cup Softened Unsalted Butter
 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
 ¼ cup Light Muscovado Sugar
 1 Large Egg
 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
 2 tsp Baking Powder
 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
 ½ cup Buttermilk
 1 ½ cups Fresh Strawberries, Diced Small
Crumble Topping:
 ¼ cup Cold Unsalted Butter, Diced
 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
 ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
 ¼ cup Muscovado Sugar

1

Preheat oven to 375º. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2

Wash and dice the fresh strawberries.

3

In a small bowl, gently toss the strawberries in a quarter cup of flour to coat evenly.

4

Cream the butter and sugars together in a bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

5

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well.

6

Gradually add the buttermilk and flour to the butter mixture, alternating between flour and buttermilk. Mix until combined.

7

Gently fold in the strawberries.

8

Add about 1/4 cup of the dough to each muffin cup.

9

Prepare crumble topping using an electric mixer. Mix together the sugars, flour and cold butter until it forms a crumb.

10

Add the crumb topping evenly to the top of each muffin.

11

Reduce the oven heat to 350º and bake the muffins for 20 minutes, or until the tops begin to brown.

12

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

13

Enjoy while nice and warm or store for up to 2 days.

Ingredients

Muffins:
 ¼ cup Softened Unsalted Butter
 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
 ¼ cup Light Muscovado Sugar
 1 Large Egg
 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
 2 tsp Baking Powder
 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
 ½ cup Buttermilk
 1 ½ cups Fresh Strawberries, Diced Small
Crumble Topping:
 ¼ cup Cold Unsalted Butter, Diced
 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
 ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
 ¼ cup Muscovado Sugar

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 375º. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2

Wash and dice the fresh strawberries.

3

In a small bowl, gently toss the strawberries in a quarter cup of flour to coat evenly.

4

Cream the butter and sugars together in a bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

5

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well.

6

Gradually add the buttermilk and flour to the butter mixture, alternating between flour and buttermilk. Mix until combined.

7

Gently fold in the strawberries.

8

Add about 1/4 cup of the dough to each muffin cup.

9

Prepare crumble topping using an electric mixer. Mix together the sugars, flour and cold butter until it forms a crumb.

10

Add the crumb topping evenly to the top of each muffin.

11

Reduce the oven heat to 350º and bake the muffins for 20 minutes, or until the tops begin to brown.

12

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

13

Enjoy while nice and warm or store for up to 2 days.

Strawberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Recipe adapted from www.sugarandsoul.co