These dried cherry muffins have a fluffy, moist crumb and a buttery streusel topping that adds the perfect crunch. With a hint of almond extract, each bite is bursting with flavor, making them a perfect addition to your breakfast or brunch lineup. They're easy to make without a mixer and even easier to enjoy!
I love baking with cherries- they're in some of my favorite desserts like cherry cinnamon rolls, chocolate cherry bundt cake, and chocolate cherry scones! These dried cherry muffins are no exception. They're fluffy, moist, and topped with a streusel for the perfect crunch.
The base is my basic buttermilk muffin recipe that I developed a while ago, but I wanted to add something special to them. After some experimenting, I added almond extract and a streusel topping, and these muffins were born! I've been making them ever since, and they've become a go-to for a quick breakfast treat.
If you love muffin recipes, try dried cranberry muffins, white chocolate raspberry muffins, sour cream banana muffins, and Black Forest muffins.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Chewy dried cherries- The tender, fluffy texture of the muffins is contrasted by the chewy texture of the dried cherries for a delicious bite!
- Crunchy streusel- The buttery crumble on top is easy to make and adds even more textural contrast.
- Easy to make- You don't need a mixer or any other special equipment to make these muffins! All you need is mixing bowls, a whisk, and a rubber spatula plus a muffin pan. You can whip them up in under 40 minutes too!
Key Ingredients
- All purpose flour- This makes up the light yet dense texture of the muffins and streusel topping. For the best results, measure it in grams with a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, fluff the flour in the bag before gently spooning it into your measuring cup. Level off the excess with a flat edge.
- Granulated sugar- Sugar sweetens the streusel and muffins, plus it helps the texture stay soft and moist. Don't reduce the sugar or the cherry muffins will be dry!
- Baking powder- This helps the muffins rise and achieve those beautiful tall tops by reacting to the oven's heat. Be sure it's fresh and not expired. I like to replace my baking powder and baking soda every 6 months.
- Melted butter- I prefer using unsalted butter to add richness and control the salt content. Since muffins don't require the structure that creamed butter provides (unlike cakes), melted butter works perfectly.
- Oil- I love making muffins and cupcakes with oil! Using only butter can make them a bit too dense, so adding oil keeps them soft and moist. Go for a neutral, flavorless oil like canola, avocado, or vegetable oil.
- Eggs- Two large eggs help bind the ingredients together and give the muffins an extra lift. Make sure they're at room temperature so they mix in easily.
- Almond extract- This is optional, but I love how almond extract and cherries taste together!
- Buttermilk- The acid in buttermilk tenderizes the gluten in the flour, resulting in fluffy, light muffins. Like the eggs, it should be at room temperature.
- Dried cherries- I prefer unsweetened dried cherries, but sweetened ones work just as well. You can use any variety of cherries too like Bing (sweet cherries) or Montmorency (tart cherries) depending on what you can find at the grocery store and your taste preference.
Substitutions and Variations
- Buttermilk substitute: My favorite substitute for buttermilk is plain Kefir, which is a type of cultured milk that has a sour taste. It's almost like a drinkable yogurt. The acid helps snip the tough gluten strands to create moist muffins just like buttermilk does. Plain Greek yogurt and sour cream are also good substitutes that do the same thing. Just keep in mind that your muffin batter will be thicker if you use them.
- Different dried fruit: Instead of dried cherries, you can use dried cranberries, apricots, blueberries, or raisins. Make sure to use dried fruit (which has a chewy texture) and not freeze-dried fruit, which is dry and crunchy.
- Add chocolate: ยฝ cup of dark or white chocolate chips would be so delicious in these muffins! Stir them in with the cherries. Chopped almonds would also be a great addition!
- Add a glaze: Stir ยฝ cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk together to create a simple glaze and drizzle it on top of the muffins once they're completely cool. It adds the perfect amount of extra sweetness!
Helpful Equipment and Tools
I always recommending baking muffins in light metal muffin tin lined with paper muffin liners or sprayed with baking spray.
Metal muffin pans conduct heat evenly, helping your muffins bake more uniformly and develop a nicely browned, slightly crisp exterior. Do not use a silicone pan because your muffins will burn!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the streusel in a small bowl by whisking the flour, sugar, and melted butter together until coarse crumbs form. Place in the fridge while you make the muffin batter.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract together vigorously until smooth and well combined. Then stir in the buttermilk.
Step 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl. Fold with a rubber spatula, stopping when there are just a few dry patches remaining.
Step 4: Gently fold in the dried cherries until they're evenly distributed throughout the batter and there's no dry streaks of flour.
Step 5: Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to portion batter into each of the muffin cups, filling to the top. Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of streusel and extra sugar if desired.
Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375ยฐF (190ยฐC) and bake for 15-20 more minutes until the streusel is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Take the pan out of the oven and let the muffins cool in it for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Don't leave them in the hot pan longer because condensation can make them soggy.
Let the muffins cool and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients ensures that they blend more easily and evenly, which leads to a smoother batter. This helps create a uniform texture and better rise, resulting in lighter, fluffier muffins. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to clump and lead to uneven baking.
- Don't overmix. Overmixing muffin batter can lead to dense, tough muffins because it overdevelops the gluten in the flour. You should stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet ingredients and you don't see any streaks of flour. It's okay if the batter looks a little lumpy- this helps keep the muffins tender and light.
- Use every other muffin well. Place a muffin liner in every other well and only fill those liners with batter. Having a space between each muffin allows the oven's hot air to be able to get to each side of the muffin evenly, causing them to rise even more and get golden brown. It will take a couple rounds to make all the muffins, but that's ok because it gives the remaining muffin batter time to rest, which lets the baking powder get a head start to rise even more! Tall muffins guaranteed!
- Bake at an initial high heat. Baking the muffins at the initial high temperature of 425ยฐF causes them to start to rise rapidly for sky-high muffin tops! Remember to lower the heat to 375ยฐF after 5 minutes so the muffins don't burn.
Storage and Freezing
Store the dried cherry muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you need to keep them longer, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days, but be aware that the dry environment may cause them to dry out faster.
Muffins can get a little soggy when stored, so I recommend placing a sheet of paper towel in the bag with them to draw out excess moisture!
Freezing
Transfer the leftover muffins to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter for a couple hours before eating. You can also microwave them for about 20 seconds or reheat in the oven for 5 minutes at 350ยฐF (180ยฐC).
Frequently Asked Questions
No, I don't recommend fresh or frozen cherries. They're too big and add too much moisture to the batter, which could lead to soggy muffins. Also they can sink to the bottom during baking.
You don't need to soak dried cherries before adding them to the batter! They'll soften up nicely during baking and add a nice chewy texture to the muffins.
Yes, you can definitely make them gluten free! Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend, which usually contains a mix of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. This type of blend is designed to mimic the texture of all-purpose flour and works well for baking muffins. My favorite is from Bob's Red Mill!
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs clinging to it, the muffins are done. If the toothpick comes out with wet batter, give them a few more minutes in the oven.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Dried Cherry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Equipment
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Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
Streusel
- 36 grams all purpose flour
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 28 grams unsalted butter melted
Muffins
- 56 grams unsalted butter melted
- 50 grams vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ยผ teaspoons almond extract optional
- 160 grams buttermilk room temperature
- 320 grams all purpose flour
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 180 grams dried cherries
Instructions
Streusel
- Whisk flour, granulated sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl with a fork until crumbs form. Chill in the fridge while you make the muffin batter.36 grams all purpose flour, 60 grams granulated sugar, 28 grams unsalted butter
Muffins
- Place muffin liners in every other cup of a muffin pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract together until smooth and well combined. Then stir in the buttermilk.56 grams unsalted butter, 50 grams vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ยผ teaspoons almond extract, 160 grams buttermilk
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until there are a few dry streaks of flour remaining.320 grams all purpose flour, 250 grams granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Fold in the dried cherries until evenly distributed with no dry streaks of flour.180 grams dried cherries
- Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling each to the top. Sprinkle with streusel and coarse sugar if desired.
- Bake at 425ยฐF (220ยฐC) for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375ยฐF (190ยฐC) and bake for 15-20 more minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the hot pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely and enjoy!
Notes
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- Use room temperature ingredients because they mix together easily, leading to a smoother batter and uniform bake.
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- Don't overmix the batter because it can lead to dense, tough muffins. Stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet ingredients and you don't see any streaks of flour.
- Use every other muffin well. Having a space between each muffin allows hot air to get to each side of the muffin, causing them to rise more and get golden brown.
Laurie
Thanks for sharing. One of the better muffin I've baked. Will be making these often.๐,!l