Moist Cherry Almond Muffins
These cherry muffins are light with a tender crumb, and almond flour and almond extract give them a well-rounded flavor. Sweet cherries add a fruity pop to each bite.
Servings 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons [70 g] unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup [180 g] buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup [50 g] almond flour
- 1/3 cup [75 g] vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup [60 g] sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups [284 g] all-purpose flour
- 7 ounces [198 g] sweet cherries, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- sliced almonds for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F [190 degrees C]. Grease two standard twelve-cup muffin tins.
- In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugar, buttermilk, almond flour, oil, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice vanilla, almond extract, baking powder, and baking soda until completely combined. Add the all-purpose flour and use a spatula to gently mix until almost all combined.
- Fold in the chopped cherries until just incorporated, as to not overwork the batter. It should not be completely smooth; there should be some visible lumps and bumps.
- Scoop a scant 1/3 cup of the batter into every other muffin cup. The batter should fill the cup and mound slightly (using a scoop helps the tops mound). Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with sugar, or cover with sliced almonds if desired.
- Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few crumbs, rotating the pan halfway through baking, 17 to 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then gently remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Muffins are best the day they are made, but can be stored in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
*Not all muffin pans are the same! I recommend baking a test muffin if this is your first time making the recipe, to see how it turns out in your pan. Putting a half sheet pan on a lower oven rack will help catch any almonds that don't stay put.
*The sliced almonds look beautiful on top, but I have to admit I don't love biting in to them as much as a sugar-coated top. Choose your own adventure here.
*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. Weighing your flour instead of using cup measurements is the surest way to get the result I intended when developing the recipe.
*Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.