Yield: 18 muffins | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook time: 22mins | Course: Breakfast, Snack | Cuisine: American

Ingredients

3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yoghurt, room temperature

1/2 tsp almond extract, or vanilla if preferred

2 cups (300g) fresh cherries, pitted, coarsely chopped and drained

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar and eggs until well combined. Add milk, sour cream and almond extract, then mix again until incorporated.
  4. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix just until combined (avoid over-mixing). Stir in chopped cherries with a rubber spatula spoon.
  5. Transfer batter to prepared muffin tin filling each cup almost to the top (I like to use an ice cream scoop for this step). Sprinkle coarse sugar over the muffins (sprinkle from high above so there are no concentrated spots and sugar is dispersed evenly).
  6. Bake at 400°F for 20-22 minutes. Muffins are done when the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. I like to turn the muffins on their side in the pan so the bottoms don’t get soggy.

Notes:

Frozen Cherries may also be used. Defrost them in a colander and discard the drippings. Use as directed in the recipe.

Chocolate Chips (1 cup) may be added to the recipe if desired. Stir them in when adding the cherries.

Store Muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freeze Muffins  after they have cooled completely. Store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.

Recommended Tools: kitchen scale, muffin tin, mixing bowls, whisk, ice cream scoop