Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Sweet, satisfying, and bursting with fresh fruit, these Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins will become a new family favorite! Easy to make, easy to freeze, and easy to enjoy. All the succulence of strawberries, packed into a muffin and topped with cinnamon streusel. Can it get any better?

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Muffins are a wonderful thing! A portable treat (or breakfast), individually packed and bringing joy to all who partake. Often made with delicious mix-ins like chocolate chips, blueberries, or (in this case) strawberries. Muffins are packed with flavor and texture. Is it any wonder they are such a popular food?

These Strawberry Buttermilk muffins are so moist, sweet, and springy. They are packed with scrumptious fresh strawberries, made with tangy buttermilk, and topped with cinnamon streusel. "Hello, it's your stomach calling, and I want you to give me allllllll the muffins!"

Best part? They are freezer friendly, which means you can make them ahead of time and thaw when needed. Perfect for those busy mornings or a last minute road trip. I love my freezer for stashing goodies like these muffins. It's like having my own personal bake shop!

What's the Secret to Making Moist Muffins?

Buttermilk.

Yes, it really is that simple! Buttermilk is a magical baking ingredient, bringing moistness, acidity, and tang to a variety of baked goods. Once you start baking with buttermilk, you won't stop! I even make my own cultured buttermilk at home when the mood strikes!

In addition to using buttermilk as your liquid, muffins maintain their moistness when the ingredients are measured accurately and they are not overmixed after the addition of flour. I talk more about that in the section below. 👇

Another common mistake is to overbake your muffins. If you don't already use an oven timer, now is the time to start! You just need to bake your muffins until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle. For most ovens that is between 25-30 minutes for these Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins. The reason muffins dry out in the oven is because the liquid slowly evaporates through the cooking process. The key is to evaporate enough of the moisture, without completely drying it out. This is why using a quality recipe, following the instructions, and using a cake tester is so important to muffin (and baking) success!

How Can I Make my Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins Light and Fluffy?

The key to making light and fluffy muffins is to whip the batter at the proper time, and fold gently later in the process. This sounds super confusing, but I promise you it's not that hard! One of the biggest mistakes people make when baking is overmixing their batters and doughs. Once the flour has been added to your batter, you have to be very careful not to overmix. This is because the gluten in flour is activated when it is mixed heavily (think kneading bread dough). While this is good for breads, it's not so good for softer baked goods like muffins and cookies.

They key to light and fluffy muffins is to whip the batter really well during the creaming of the butter and sugar. Once you add the eggs, beat until the mixture lightens in color. Then, when you add the flour, gently mix just until moistened. Add the fillings and fold in gently with a silicone spatula. By avoiding the overmixing of the batter after the addition of flour, you'll get light and fluffy strawberry buttermilk muffins every time!

Preventing Fruit From Sinking to the Bottom

There's a simple trick for preventing fruit from sinking to the bottom of your favorite muffins, breads, and other baked goods! This also works well for chocolate chips and raisins. You simply toss them with a little bit of flour. The batter "grabs" onto the flour and binds with it. This keeps your fruit and add-ins suspended in your batter, rather than all at the bottom of your muffin, cookie, or bread. Nice!

What Do I Need to Make Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins?

• Fresh Strawberries: You will need a pint of fresh strawberries. If you can get them in season, that is ideal! You'll want to hull the strawberries and dice them into small pieces (about ½" or smaller).
• Flour: Regular all purpose flour works well in this recipe, but how you measure it matters. To keep these muffins light and fluffy, make sure you spoon and level your flour. This ensures you don't pack too much flour into the measuring cup, which will make for dense muffins.
• Buttermilk: This adds a pleasant tang and moistness that makes these muffins absolutely to-die-for! If you are in a pinch, you can use a substitute for buttermilk, but I recommend purchasing store bought cultured buttermilk or making your own.
• Butter: We use salted butter in this recipe. You are going to need to have your butter softened to be able to cream it together with the sugar. This means you will need to set your butter out to soften a few hours before the recipe. Do no substitute with melted butter or cold butter. If you need to soften your butter in a pinch, you can try this trick from Sally's Baking Addiction.
• Sugar: The fresh flavor of strawberries works best with white granulated sugar. This is perfect for creating that light and fluffy texture and neutral flavor.
• Eggs: You will need 2 large eggs. If you can have them at room temperature, you will have slightly better results, but cold eggs are totally fine too!

Plus: Baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract.

For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping:

• Brown Sugar: Adds a more complex flavor and a wonderful texture to the top of the strawberry muffins.
• White Sugar: Creates a balanced flavor and finer crumb for your streusel topping.
• Flour: A key ingredient in every streusel! Blends with the sugar, brown sugar, and butter for a flaky, crispy texture.
• Butter: For your topping, you will need COLD butter, rather than the softened butter required for your batter. When you take out your butter to soften, measure out the amount needed for your streusel topping and place it back in the fridge. Simply cube it when you're ready to prepare your topping.
• Cinnamon: A wonderful complimentary flavor to the fresh strawberries, and a classic addition to streusel toppings.

Recommended Equipment:

How Do You Make Strawberry Muffins From Scratch?

Although using boxes mixes is pretty common, it's actually incredibly easy to make strawberry muffins from scratch! As long as you follow the recipe and are sure to use quality ingredients, and good techniques, you'll have light and fluffy muffins with an addictive homemade taste.

These strawberry buttermilk muffins are made using a stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer, or even a whisk if you have a strong arm for creaming butter! For the most foolproof results, I recommend a mixer.

• Step One: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Step Two: Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth.
• Then, Step Three: Add diced strawberries to a medium sized bowl.
• Step Four: Add 1 tbsp. of flour to the strawberries and toss well to coat. Set aside.
• Step Five: Finish mixing up the batter by adding the eggs and vanilla and beating until lighter in color. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk until all the flour and buttermilk have been added. Mix just until moistened, being careful not to overmix the batter.
• Finally, Step Six: Add the strawberries to the muffin batter and fold gently to combine. Add the butter to a muffin tin lined with paper liners and top with the cinnamon streusel topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tested comes out clean.

A Final Touch: Cinnamon Streusel Topping

What really makes these muffins extra special is the cinnamon streusel topping! This is an easy addition, but it adds the subtle taste of cinnamon, which compliments the fresh strawberries in the most wonderful way! Making a streusel topping is a basic baking skill that every home cook should know how to do, because it adds such a nice crunch and flavor with minimal effort.

Add you have to do is combine brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Whisk it really well and then cut in the cold, cubed butter. This is a similar technique you see in pie crusts and other pastries. For a streusel, you don't need to cut the butter in until the crumbs are coarse. You can merely cut them in until flaky. This uneven texture makes for a really interesting topping for muffins, breads, and crumbles! Give it a try with one of your favorite recipes, you'll love it!

Questions and Answers