Fresh cherry muffins made with sour cream and just a touch of almond. Grab your juicy, ripe cherries and let’s go!
How this recipe came to be; too many fresh cherries
This is my first cherry-anything recipe and I’m proud of it.
For the first time ever, I had too many fresh cherries in my house because they were on sale at the grocery store. I love them.
Due to this abundance, I thought I’d just try adding them to one of my simple recipes that I already know and love. Small-batch muffins sounded like a good place to start.
Good news: You don’t have to discard the cherry juices. You add all of that flavor and sweetness right into the batter! So when I tell you the flavor is there, it is there.
This recipe was adapted from my Almond Muffins, which is a one-bowl, half-batch, made-by-hand recipe. I thought it would be a good base since it is more on the sturdy side which means it could handle all of the juice from the cherries. And it has those domed, crisp, golden tops that would contrast the softness of the ripe, baked cherries.
These muffins are made with sour cream. This gives them richness, body, and flavor. Greek yogurt can also work here.
For this recipe I used fresh Bing cherries. These are the big, dark red ones. I’m not sure how other varieties would work in this recipe because they have thinner skin and are more fragile.
Recipe Testing
The first test batch was too sweet and it had milk in it.
So as you can imagine, with both milk and all of the cherry juices in the batter, it was runny as hell. I couldn’t even fill the pan properly. The batter was running out the pan. It was a mess so I decided to omit the milk.
The liquid from the cherries adds enough moisture and the ripeness of the cherries adds sweetness.
In the ingredient list, you will see almond extract. If you don’t have any, that is completely fine. Just stick with good-ole vanilla.
However, the almond extract complements the cherry flavor so much and gives it that professional touch. It elevates the flavor so add it!
If you’ve never baked with this extract before, it is very strong and that is why there is so little in the entire recipe.
Worth The Mess
I wanted these cherry muffins to actually be worth massacring my cherries for, to be worth the bloody mess (pun intended).
And they are.
I forgot to mention, they smell amazing!
I think I’m going to try making a cake next time. The cherries I bought were so juicy and sweet! I was very tempted to make an icing with the juices. You know what? Yeah, I’m gonna do that next time.
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Half Batch Fresh Cherry Sour Cream Muffins
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (71g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (55g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (123g) sour cream, 14% milkfat (a lower fat percentage will also work)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup (75g/80ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 1/4 cups (152g) all-purpose/plain flour
- 24 fully ripe fresh cherries (about 182g or 1 cup), pitted & diced (juices n’ all), plus more for the tops if you’d like
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C), conventional.
- In a large bowl, combine both sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.1/3 cup (71g) granulated sugar, 1/4 cup (55g) light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the sour cream and mix well until blended.1/2 cup (123g) sour cream, 14% milkfat
- Beat in the egg.1 egg
- Mix in the oil and the extracts.1/3 cup (75g/80ml) vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- Add the flour and mix gently until fully incorporated and no dry streaks remain.1 1/4 cups (152g) all-purpose/plain flour
- Gently fold in the cherries.24 fully ripe fresh cherries (about 182g or 1 cup), pitted & diced (juices n’ all), plus more for the tops if you’d like
- Prepare a 6-cup muffin pan by lining it with muffin liners and spraying it lightly with nonstick cooking spray (read notes below for 12-cup pan).
- Spoon the batter into the pan, filling the cups to the very top.
- Sprinkle the tops with more cherry pieces and coarse sugar (or regular white sugar).
- Bake for 23 - 24 mins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs, NOT wet batter or goopy crumbs.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 7 minutes more.
Notes
- If your cherries are not fully ripened, you can add an extra tablespoon of white sugar.
- When measuring the cherries, do not overpack the cup! Due to the juices, this can lead to soggy, under baked muffins.
- For a 12-cup muffin pan, after you’ve prepared it, fill the empty wells with 1 teaspoon of water. This prevents the bottom of the pan from burning or warping and promotes even baking. Do not leave the wells empty!
- Store the muffins in an airtight container lined with a paper towel. They sweat a lot, therefore they become more moist and softer over time.
