These Bakery Style Strawberry Muffins bake up tall and moist just like the ones you buy at your favorite coffee shop. Sweet, fruity and so tender!
The inspiration for creating these bakery style strawberry muffins came from the strawberry puree leftover from my strawberry pate de fruit recipe. I figured why not make applesauce style muffins with the leftovers? It was worth a try, but must admit the first attempt wasn’t a stellar. They weren’t strawberry enough for me and I really wanted to be overwhelmed with sweet, fruity flavor.
Back to the drawing board… I added fresh strawberries in addition to the puree the second time around. The second time around was better… the strawberry flavor was there but the muffins were kinda rubbery.
Frustrating, right? Well, I pulled an old trick out of my book. Sour cream, buttermilk and yogurt are all baking miracle workers. There’s science at play I don’t understand… but I’m guessing it’s something about the cultures. They can be used interchangeably to make baked goods more tender and tasty.
So I replaced some of the strawberry puree with Greek vanilla yogurt and added more freshly chopped strawberries to the mix. These muffins were tender and sweet just like I was craving.
You’d think I’d stop there, but no! I tested the recipe a few more times adjusting baking temps and figuring out how full to fill the cups. I also tested the different baking pans:
- Unsurprisingly, the dark pan baked the fasted, but they also ended up the tallest.
- The pan pictured also turned out nicely baked muffins, but they did not dome as well as the dark pan. However, this pan had a skinnier, deep cup which made sure there was no spill over.
- My worst batch was baked in muffin pans with a light brown enamel coating (unfortunately, my go to pans). Without tulip cups the muffins spilled over onto the top. I think these pans have a smaller cup size but I surmise that the difference in color resulted in a flatter top muffin. With tulip cups the batter was forced upwards and everything was a-o-kay.
I actually prefer tulip cups for muffins, but I made them in standard muffin cups for the photos so you can see how pretty these strawberry muffins are. They turn out a beautiful golden brown with a crunchy, sugary top just like the ones you buy from the bakery. Inside they are full of strawberry bits and you’ll definitely catch a whiff of vanilla as you open a steamy, hot muffin.
They’re super moist and tender. You know what that means? They will still be tasty day two… or even three if you refrigerate them. Now these aren’t skinny muffins. The reality is that healthy muffins are only good freshly baked. You know the kind of muffins that once they’ve cooled they resemble hockey pucks?
Yeah, those are not the kind of muffins I want to eat. If I’m watching my diet, I’ll choose a different type of breakfast. The butter and sugar are absolutely necessary for a moist tender muffin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you!
But in moderation, these muffins won’t ruin your diet either. For me it’s a small morning indulgence that starts my day with a warm, cozy feeling. Because I’m not a morning person, I bake a batch of these, wrap each individually and freeze them. To reheat, I place them in the toaster oven at 250F for about 25 minutes and they come out just like freshly baked muffins.
But if you make these for the family on the weekend, you’re unlikely to have leftovers! Maybe make two batches?
How to make bakery style strawberry muffins
- A dark muffin pan performed the best in our recipe tests.
- When in doubt, use tulip liners, they will force the batter upwards resulting a taller, more domed muffin.
- Make them pretty! Topping the batter with extra diced strawberries and decorating sugar makes a beautiful, crunchy top.
- Don’t overmix your muffins! If you see some unmixed flour in the batter, that’s okay.
- You can use frozen strawberries for the puree, but for best results use fresh strawberries for the diced.
- After you turn the oven heat down, watch the muffins closely. When the tops look done, test the muffins immediately.
Bakery Style Strawberry Muffins
Ingredients
Strawberry Muffins
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup strawberry puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup diced strawberries
Topping
- 1/4 cup diced straberries
- Decorating sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with tulip liners. If possible start with room temperature ingredients.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the sugar, strawberry puree, vanilla extract and greek yogurt.
- Add in the melted butter, whisking fast so it doesn't reharden, and then add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
- Fold in the flour mixture until mostly combined. It's okay if you still see some flour.
- Fold in the strawberries. Don't overmix though or your have tough muffins.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin pan. I used a yellow Zeroll disher which is the perfect size for muffins
- Dot the top of the muffins with the remaining strawberries and then sprinkle with decorating sugar.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 450F, then reduce the temperature to 375F. It should take an additional 6-7 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted the the middle of a muffin comes out clean, Keep in mind that pans make a big difference in cooking times, so see the post above for additional notes.
Notes
- These muffins are tall! Unless you have a deeper muffin pan, I strongly suggest using tulip baking cups. I love to use them because they keep the batter off my pans, which means easy cleanup!
- Fresh fruit muffins will mold easily, so I suggest storing these muffins in the refrigerator or better yet the freezer. We wrap our muffins individually and freeze them up to one month.
Nutrition
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Sherri says
Love the idea of strawberry muffins! These are simply scrumptious! My kids would love these for breakfast or for an after school snack.
Vintage Kitty says
Or Valentines Day!!!!
Linda says
I bet these muffins with fresh strawberries and yogurt are sensational! I’ve made cookies with fresh strawberries before and they do mold if they’re not refrigerated so that was a good suggestion. I’ve never cooked muffins using 2 temperatures but now I’ve got to give it a try. I’ll be baking this next month come strawberry season here in Florida.
Vintage Kitty says
You’re so lucky that strawberry season starts so early in Florida! And definitely give the two temps a try. They bake faster with better browning and rise.
Jennifer says
My all-time favorite muffin is strawberry!! These are perfect for brunch!
Vintage Kitty says
Yes to #brunchlife!
Michelle says
These look perfect! I love strawberry muffins but have never made them at home. Thanks for sharing such great tips, I’m guaranteed success with this recipe x
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Michelle! You’re going to love them!
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says
One of these beautiful and delicious muffins would make my morning extra special. Great texture, and that topping!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Nicoletta! Hope you get a chance to try them!
Elizabeth Leaver says
Oh, these strawberry muffins look so delicate and pretty! These are the type of thing I love to make at the weekend so I have them when I’m feeling snacky. So good!
Vintage Kitty says
Weekends are all about muffin baking!
lauren says
Strawberry is my absolutely favorite flavor anything! Especially for muffins! I bet these would freeze great for easy breakfast to toast up in the morning.
Vintage Kitty says
They do freeze great. After all those test batches I’ve been eating them every morning for a month now!
Eileen Kelly says
We are lucky you had leftover strawberry puree! These are delicious muffins. I love the flavors in these muffins including the Greek yogurt! I love these for breakfast or snack!
Vintage Kitty says
Right? Necessity is the mother of invention!
Sam says
These strawberry muffins look so mouthwatering!! They would make such a good breakfast on Valentine’s Day!
Vintage Kitty says
Yes! Great to surprise your Valentine with breakfast in bed!
Andrea says
These muffins look absolutely delicious, can’t wait to give them a try! PS: your photography is amazing!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Andrea. You’re so sweet!
Karyl Henry says
That is so interesting about the difference in results with the different baking pan. I never would have thought such minor things would make such major differences. I’ve never used Greek yogurt in baking, but it does sound like a great idea and way to add a punch of flavor
Vintage Kitty says
Seriously! I hate my dark muffin pans because they have no lip…quite a hassle to get out of the oven. But for some reason they rose the best. And totally try using yogurt Karyl. It’s so awesome in baked goods.
Elke says
This bakery style strawberry muffins article has
helped me a lot. It’s very well written. I’m glad I found it.
Min says
I don’t have vanilla Greek yogurt, just plain. Can I sub with that?
Vintage Kitty says
Yes, that will be just fine! Let me know how it goes Min.
Min says
It came out so good!
I used regular plain Greek yogurt and it was tasty!
I only have glass muffins for bakeware and it still came out good! Very moist! I did have to extend the bake time almost by double the amount.
Vintage Kitty says
Min, I’m glad they came out well! Glass cake be hard to bake in, so I’m not surprised they took longer. Enjoy!