Remember those cherries I told you I picked up at the store when we got home from our trip? It was a little over 2 pounds, and I really didn’t think I’d have any trouble eating them all myself before they started to go bad on me. I was wrong. That’s not an uncommon occurrence around here – my eyes are routinely bigger than my stomach. Anyway, when I opened the fridge and noticed a few cherries starting to look a bit soft, I resolved to bake something pronto so the cherries didn’t end up in our trash can. Immediately I thought about making a mini cherry pie – this recipe is my current favorite, but I also considered another attempt at a lattice top with this recipe. In the end, I was too lazy to make pie crust (it’s been one of those weeks) so pie will have to wait.
Instead, I wound up trying these cherry crumb muffins I’d flagged about a month ago, before cherries were routinely available in the stores here. My lack of motivation on the pie wound up working in my favor because these muffins were great! Fresh cherries are quartered and baking into the muffins, and a whole cherry tops the muffins, giving them a bit of a unique look. The muffins also contain one of my very favorite ingredients, almond extract, which pairs perfectly with the fresh cherries here. In case you needed another reason to try these, how about a crumb topping? That always piques my interest in a muffin recipe 🙂 I subbed white whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose to make these a tad healthier and really didn’t notice any difference from muffins I typically bake using just all-purpose. I thought the muffins were equally delicious warm from the oven and after sitting on my counter for a day after baking.
I cringe when I think about the fact that I didn’t discover I liked fresh cherries until a year or two ago. All those summers of missing out!
Cherry Crumb Muffins
adapted from Pink Parsley Catering (originally from Clinton Street Baking Company)
Crumb Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
Muffins
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
10 cherries, pitted and left whole
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
To make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the pieces are about the size of small peas. Refrigerate the topping while you make the muffin batter.
To make the muffins: Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and almond extract on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then beat in the egg. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half of the sour cream. Continue alternating flour and sour cream, ending with the flour mixture, and beating until the ingredients are just combined. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the quartered cherries.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners. Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of the crumb topping and 1 whole cherry.
Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them to the rack to cool completely.
Makes 10 muffins
I made a New Year’s resolution – on July 1 – why not? Better late than never. If was to read all the posts of people I follow even when they are sweets and baked goods I would never make. It’s still interesting to see what folks are up to.
look delish! I love this time of year when cherries are in season!
Cherries were on sale for $1.50 a pound last weekend in our area a couple weekends ago and I went a little crazy buying them. I asked my husband ahead of time if he would help me eat them (you can’t always count on him to eat fruit) and he said he loved cherries. Once I brought them home his eyes got really big and he said he couldn’t possibly eat all of them. Between the two of us we made a dent in them, but sometimes it’s a mad rush to get them all eaten before they go bad. I’ll have to keep recipes like this on hand for the next time I do that. The muffins look perfect and I love the combination of almond and cherry flavors.
I’m right there with you on the almond extract. It’s something I use often. I love it! Definitely have to try these muffins 🙂
These are beautiful! I’ve gone through 3 cartons of cherries in the past week and a half–they’re so good right now! I need to try baking with them 🙂
This sounds delish!
I havnt baked enough with cherries…if at all actually! And these make me ashamed of the fact, they look so wonderful and moorish i bet 🙂
I’ll definitely try these – we love fruit desserts and especially when fresh cherry are involved. These quite surely will be a success at home. Thanks for sharing this recipe
these look delicious!
These look delicious…and cute! Love cherries.
Yum! I’m not sure I could get motivated to pit the cherries, but I could easily get motivated to eat these.
These look so delicious and your pictures are gorgeous!
I have cherries in my fridge right now. I’m almost afraid to check and see if they are still edible. But if they are I would love to try this recipe. I have never actually baked with fresh cherries before and I hate seeing good food go in the trash (something that happens more than I’d like around here). Your muffins look great!
Those look so good! I bought a cherry pitter last year and haven’t baked with cherries at all this year, might be time to do it.
These are the prettiest muffin, Tracey. Now this is a great way to use up leftover cherries.
Was I glad that Rick was able to bring one of these home for me. These were incredible! I loved the almond flavor. I’ve never baked with fresh cherries before. Just might have to try this out myself!
For some reason, I can NEVER figure out the flavors I’m experiencing that meld together and make a dish awesome. (This is why I’ll never be a good cook!)
That said, it was the almond flavor, maybe mixed in with the cinnamon, that really hit me with this recipe. So unexpected for some reason, but perfect.
I put 2 aside to take home and ate one after lunch. I decided to grab another to take home but acted too late, there was one half of a muffin left by the time I went to grab one, and that was cut in half before my eyes (apparently, nobody in my office wants to wash the dish). The clean dish was in my office by 2:00 tho… a big hit with this one!
Your muffins look perfect! What a great use for all of your cherries!
Yum – these look so good! My eyes tend to be a little too big, too…so like you, I’m usually making muffins or something to use up all the fruit that stares neglectedly back at me from the fridge. 🙂
Yum – these look so good! My eyes tend to be a little too big, too…so like you, I’m usually making muffins or something to use up all the fruit that stares neglectedly back at me from the fridge. 🙂
Yum – these look so good! My eyes tend to be a little too big, too…so like you, I’m usually making muffins or something to use up all the fruit that stares neglectedly back at me from the fridge. 🙂
Yum – these look so good! My eyes tend to be a little too big, too…so like you, I’m usually making muffins or something to use up all the fruit that stares neglectedly back at me from the fridge. 🙂
Yum – these look so good! My eyes tend to be a little too big, too…so like you, I’m usually making muffins or something to use up all the fruit that stares neglectedly back at me from the fridge. 🙂
They look delicious and super super cute Tracey – almost too cute to eat.
Can you believe I still have never baked with fresh cherries? Clearly I need to take care of that. These muffins look wonderful – I can never pass up a crumb topping. 🙂
These are amazing muffins! I just made some this morning with some cherries I had in the refrigerator. I don’t bake with sour cream much, but I could really tell a difference in how moist and fluffy the cake was. And I loved the scent that the almond extract gave them. I am sad that I have never cooked with fresh cherries before this, but they are definitely a new favorite! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Made these this morning and they tasted great. A delicate muffin that does require the paper liners. I made one muffin without the cherry on top and that muffin raised much better. If I make them again I would leave off the cherry on top.