This is such a gorgeous spring weekend; Nashville at it’s most beautiful. Richard’s good friend Will made a brief surprise stop in town and since it’s also Richard’s birthday weekend, Will’s mom put together a last minute impromptu picnic for us. I wanted to bring something yummy and had to look no farther than the embarrassing amount of strawberries I just bought at the Farmer’s Market.
Sure I could have gone with a tradition strawberry short cake, or for that matter simply cut up strawberries to serve over vanilla ice cream with maybe a drizzle of Farmer’s Market honey – my favorite new treat. But instead, I decided to make an old recipe I hadn’t thought of in years – Strawberry Streusel Muffins. They are perfect for a picnic- individual serving size, easy to pack, they have their own muffin cup for serving. It would be a shame not to also mention that they are extremely irresistible – and ever so pretty! These muffins are a synch to make.
Cut cup about two cups of strawberries – doesn’t have to be exact, and mix together a basic sour cream batter. I guess you could use yogurt or even buttermilk, but sour cream has such a nice tang and great texture. After you fill the muffin cups about half way and top with the strawberries, you can whip up the streusel topping in the same bowl you used for batter (easy clean-up). Just bake for about 15 to 18 minutes and you are destined to be the most popular guest at the picnic. Or at least you’ll have the best smelling house in the neighborhood! We had so much fun it was hard to finally leave our picnic, but Will had to go back and we all had stuff to do. Of course Richard left with a fabulous birthday gift – check the antlers. If you see someone driving around town with their sunroof open and antlers sticking out – well I think you’ll have a clue as to who it is! Just make sure you give these muffins a try. They are delicious all year round, but perfect for the famous Tennessee spring strawberries we have right now. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups of strawberries, cut up in small pieces
2eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
½ cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
For Streusel topping
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
Directions (Makes 18 to 20)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups.
In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
Stir in flour and baking powder until well mixed.
Fill muffin cups half way with batter.
Top with strawberries.
Make streusel topping: in batter bowl combine melted butter, flour, and brown and white sugar. Crumble over the top of strawberries.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
