The Best Strawberry Muffins (Easy & Moist Recipe)

Dive into these incredibly moist, perfectly fluffy, and utterly irresistible honey strawberry muffins loaded with fresh berries and sweet jam. Baking these always brings a smile to my face because they taste like sunshine and fresh air, a real comfort treat. They’re simple to pull together and make a wonderful breakfast or snack any time you need a little sweetness.

My Journey with Fruit and Baking

You know, I have always been completely head over heels for all kinds of berries and fresh fruit. Anyone who follows along here probably knows this because I talk about fruit constantly. I’m forever figuring out ways to add seasonal fruit into unexpected things like vibrant salsas, interesting pizza toppings, and lots of other savory dishes too. What wasn’t always my favorite thing was actually baking with fruit.

This might sound a bit strange, right? Who doesn’t adore baking fruit into sweet things? Well, I grew up in a household where my mom was the queen of chocolate. We had rich chocolate cake, classic chocolate chip cookies, and her famous Special K-bars straight from her recipe box. I am absolutely not complaining about growing up surrounded by chocolate goodness. It just meant that fruity baked goods weren’t a big part of my childhood food memories. Of course, I ate my share of basic blueberry muffins, but that was really the extent of my experience with fruit in baked sweets.

Unless, maybe, you count banana bread? Though, honestly, even that was usually jam-packed with melty semi-sweet chocolate chips. Naturally.

Generally speaking, I find myself really loving fruit just as it is. I could eat handfuls of juicy fresh berries straight from the carton, bite into whole ripe peaches, and happily devour chunks of sweet, tropical pineapple (my absolute top pick). But over these last couple of years, my feelings about baking with fruit have completely changed. In fact, as we get closer to summer, fruity baked goods are almost all I can think about. Get ready to see lots of fruit pies, homemade ice cream, light cakes, and all sorts of wonderful fruity treats coming your way this summer.

It’s probably pretty clear that I am just slightly excited about this.

Let me ask you, what are you looking forward to most as summer arrives? I would genuinely love to hear what has you feeling excited.

For me, it is definitely the peak season produce available at the market, but I guess that is kind of obvious given my passion for food. Besides the delicious things to eat, I am really looking forward to our family vacation coming up soon in the Caribbean. Right after that, I have a work trip planned for New York City, which also sounds like a fantastic adventure.

Finding the Perfect Strawberry Moment

Like I mentioned in a recent post I shared, all the recipes I plan for June are starring a key summer ingredient. Things like tender zucchini, sweet corn, ripe tomatoes, juicy peaches, and so on. Today, the special ingredient is the beautiful strawberry, marking the end of spring and the beginning of early summer.

Seriously though, have you had a chance to taste those late spring strawberries that are showing up at the markets right now? The ones I found recently were absolutely incredible. They were so flavorful and sweet I could not stop eating them straight from the basket. Since I knew I was at risk of eating so many I felt sick, I decided it was the perfect time to transform the rest into some extra soft and buttery strawberry muffins. Of course, then I just could not stop eating the muffins either. It is a delicious cycle.

Crafting the Ideal Muffin Batter

The base for these muffins is actually quite simple and straightforward. To make sure they turn out wonderfully moist, delightfully soft, and perfectly fluffy, I like to use a combination of ingredients. This includes melted butter, eggs for richness, a touch of plain Greek yogurt for tenderness, and some buttermilk to add moisture and a slight tang. For sweetening, honey is my absolute favorite choice here. I think it pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of strawberries. This combination is truly one of my go-to pairings. If you prefer, you could certainly use pure maple syrup instead of honey, but I really think the honey adds something special in this recipe.

When it comes to the dry ingredients, I always find that using a mix works best for me. I combine both whole wheat flour and all-purpose white flour. You could technically use all white flour for a lighter texture or all whole wheat for a denser, heartier muffin. But I have found that the balance between these two flours gives me exactly the texture I am looking for in a perfect muffin.

The Secret for Intense Strawberry Flavor

Now, let me tell you the real secret that makes these muffins stand out. It is using a combination of really good quality fresh strawberries and some truly delicious, intensely flavored strawberry jam. Combining the bright, natural taste of fresh berries with the concentrated sweetness and deeper flavor of jam gives you the absolute best of both worlds in every single bite. The fresh strawberries add a wonderful texture and substantial berry chunks throughout the muffin. Meanwhile, the jam melts slightly and adds an extra layer of sweet, more intense strawberry flavor that permeates the batter.

Here is a great tip for you. While these are fantastic with strawberries, you can honestly use any berry you love in this recipe. You could even use a mix of different berries. Feel free to swap in fresh blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries if that is what you have on hand or what you prefer. Just be sure to keep the total amounts of fresh berries and jam the same as listed in the recipe.

Just be prepared. These muffins are genuinely packed full of amazing berry flavor.

It is honestly the most wonderful thing. Each bite is incredibly delicious.

Especially, and I really mean especially, when you enjoy them warm, straight from the oven, with a generous smear of butter melting right into the soft crumb. Please, please do this. It is a small step that makes a huge difference in the enjoyment.

If you get a chance to make these honey strawberry muffins, please take a moment to leave a comment below and perhaps give the recipe a star rating. I genuinely love hearing from all of you and I always try my absolute best to respond to every single comment. And of course, if you do make them, please remember to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations. Looking through the photos of the recipes you all have made is truly one of my favorite parts of doing this.

How to Create These Wonderful Muffins

Putting together these delicious honey strawberry muffins is quite simple. You start by getting your oven ready and preparing your muffin pan. Then, you will want to combine all your wet ingredients in a large bowl. This includes the melted butter, honey, vanilla extract, your choice of milk (whole milk or buttermilk works well), Greek yogurt, and eggs. You whisk these together until everything looks smooth and is well combined.

Next, you will add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ones. Measure in the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix these gently. The key here is to stop mixing just as the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet. You really want to avoid overmixing the batter, as this can make your muffins tough instead of tender.

In a separate, smaller bowl, you will prepare the special strawberry mixture. Take your finely diced fresh strawberries, the high-quality strawberry jam, and the lemon zest. Stir these together until they are nicely combined. This mixture is where a lot of that fantastic flavor comes from.

Now, gently fold this strawberry and jam mixture into your prepared muffin batter. Do this carefully, swirling it in just enough to distribute the berries throughout the batter without mixing it in completely. The goal is to still see little pockets of the berry mixture scattered throughout the muffin cups after baking.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups you prepared earlier. Fill each cup about two-thirds full to allow them to rise nicely without overflowing.

Place the filled muffin pan into your preheated oven. They will need to bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. To know when they are perfectly done, insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean, they are ready to be taken out of the oven.

Let the muffins cool a little bit while they are still in the pan. After a few minutes, you can carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely there before storing them or enjoying them.

Questions You Might Have About These Muffins

Thinking about baking these? Here are some common questions you might have.

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