Strawberry Blueberry Muffins – lighter!

At a glance

What stands out: Bursting with juicy strawberries and blueberries, these strawberry blueberry muffins can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a lighter snack. From-scratch muffins are more economical than bakery muffins, and they are so rich!

How long it takes: 33 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: muffin tins, mixing bowl
Servings: 12 muffins

From-scratch Muffins

Double berry muffins, made from scratch, with whole wheat flour and yogurt, are so much better than bakery muffins. Better taste, better for you, better price.

We checked the nutrition information for muffins at a favorite restaurant/bakery of ours. Each blueberry muffin has 460 calories, 18 grams of fat, and a whopping 40 grams of sugar! Not to mention that each muffin will run you almost three dollars.

Wow! That kind of blows us away! Make your own muffins, folks! It’s not difficult and you’ll save tons of money, and be healthier, too. (Did we just sound kind of bossy? Sorry about that!)

Strawberry Blueberry Muffins

Better than bakery muffins. These rich strawberry blueberry muffins have half the calories of those bakery muffins, only 11 grams of fat, and 13 grams of sugar. Plus, there’s the added benefit of whole wheat flour.

LOTS of fresh berries. You won’t have to wonder where the berries are in these muffins! There are two cups of berries in every batch. And if you’re like us, you’ll sneak in a few extra berries.

Straightforward to mix. The only equipment you’ll need is muffin tins, two bowls, a spoon, and an oven.

What goes in

• Strawberries: We usually use fresh strawberries so we can chop them into smaller pieces (chopping frozen berries is possible but it can be a little tricky). You’ll need a cup of chopped strawberries.
• Blueberries: You’ll need about one cup of blueberries. Either fresh or frozen berries will work fine in muffins. If you’re using frozen berries, there’s no need to thaw them first; in fact, it’s better if you don’t. Thawed berries tend to become juicy and will discolor the muffin batter.
• Flour: Use a 50/50 mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Whole wheat flour adds nutrition and fiber to the muffins but if you use only whole wheat flour, the muffins can be a bit heavy. A mixture of flours keeps the muffins light and fluffy.
• Greek Yogurt: Yogurt reduces the need for a lot of oil and also adds protein to the muffins.
• Oil: Any neutral flavored oil is fine: canola, vegetable, corn, etc. Using oil instead of butter helps keep muffins moist and fluffy.
• Eggs: A couple of eggs add rich flavor and keep the muffins moist.
• Strawberry Jam: We like to add just a couple tablespoons of jam to the muffin batter to enhance the strawberry flavor. However, if you don’t happen to have any strawberry jam, the muffins will turn out without it.
• Sugar: You won’t find a lot of sugar in these muffins, just a half cup (and the sugar that’s in the jam).
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Added for its sweet warm flavor, vanilla is a baker’s true friend.
• Baking Powder: Commonly used for leavening, baking powder will make the muffins rise. By the way, baking powder is not the same thing as baking soda.
• Salt: Without salt, your muffins will taste flat and a little flavorless.

How it comes together

Begin by preheating your oven and getting the tins ready. We like to spray them with nonstick cooking spray but you can use cupcake liners if you prefer.

Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl or large measuring cup: yogurt, oil, strawberry jam, vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently mix them in.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix just until blended. You don’t want to overmix the muffin batter, just stir until the dry and wet ingredients are combined.

Evenly divide the batter into the muffin tins and bake your double berry muffins. They’ll take about 18 minutes.

Helpful Tips

Sinking blueberries? A common problem with blueberry muffins is that the berries tend to sink to the bottom of the muffins during the baking time. While that isn’t a huge deal and doesn’t affect the flavor of the muffins, it can be irritating. There are two techniques to prevent this from happening.

1. Toss the berries in the flour mixture before combining with the wet ingredients. This is what we normally do (if we remember).
2. Another technique we've come across lately works well, too. Mix the batter without adding the berries. Put a spoonful of plain batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Fold the berries into the remaining batter and divide it between the muffin cups.

How to tell when muffins are done. You can check the muffins with a toothpick to see if they’re done. Just stick a toothpick near the center of one of the muffins. Take it out and look at it. Did the toothpick come out clean? Is there a couple of crumbs stuck to it? Then the muffins are done! If there’s still sticky batter clinging to the toothpick, put the muffins back in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Use different berries. Use 2 cups of any combination of berries including raspberries, blackberries, or whatever berries are available to you.
• Add chocolate. Want to add a little chocolate? O course you do! Use only one type of berry and substitute 1 cup of chocolate chips. (Or try these strawberry chocolate chip muffins — so good!)
• Change the flour ratio. Prefer 100% whole wheat? That will work fine, the muffins will be a little denser and heavier but will taste great! If you don’t like any whole wheat, just use 2 cups of all-purpose unbleached flour. A gluten-free flour will work, too.
• Try a substitute for the Greek yogurt. Use regular plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. Or use sour cream, milk, or buttermilk. Low fat or regular, doesn’t matter.
• Have extra berries? Make a straightforward dessert. Apple blueberry crisp is one of our favorite desserts, especially when it’s topped with from-scratch no churn vanilla bean ice cream. There’s also peach blueberry crisp and blueberry crisp with coconut — so tasty!

Keeping leftovers

While there’s nothing like a warm muffin fresh out of the oven, strawberry blueberry muffins will keep on the counter for a couple of days. If you want to store them longer, put them in the fridge or freeze them for up to a few months in a freezer safe container. We like to make a double batch and freeze some to eat later.

Tip: Be sure to cool the muffins completely before storing them in an airtight container. If they are still warm, condensation will form and the muffins will become sticky.

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 18 minutes
• Total: 43 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low fat Greek yogurt (see note)
• ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (can use all-purpose flour instead)
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400℉. Prepare 12 muffin cups by spraying lightly with non stick spray or line with paper liners.
2. In medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt or sour cream, oil, strawberry jam, and vanilla.
3. In separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add berries to the flour mixture and lightly stir until berries are coated with flour and dispersed.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing gently just until combined.
6. Divide batter into muffin cups. Bake for 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with crumbs clinging. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from tins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from tins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Yogurt: Any type of plain unsweetened yogurt can be used. Buttermilk or sour cream can be substituted, if desired.

Flour: If preferred, use 2 cups whole wheat flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour, or any ratio you prefer.

Berries: Use all blueberries or all strawberries, or another berry of your choice. Another option is to use only one type of berry and substitute 1 cup of chocolate chips instead.

Storage: Cool muffins completely before storing in an airtight container. They’ll keep for a few days at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a week. Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.