Thursday, March 3, 2011

Strawberry Yoghurt Muffins



Do you like strawberries in baked goods?  I have to say that I am not a huge fan.  I like fresh strawberries on top of cakes and tarts, but strawberries baked into cakes and biscuits do not generally appeal to me - they undergo a textural and flavour change that doesn't sit well with me.

However, my mind was changed somewhat by a recipe for strawberry and yoghurt muffins that appeared on p18 of February 2011 Super Food Ideas magazine.  These muffins contain wholemeal flour and minimum sugar and oil, together with strawberries, cranberries and no fat yoghurt.  This means that if you like to have a treat in your lunchbox, these are on the "healthy" side. While the wholemeal flour makes these muffins a little denser than muffins made with white flour, I enjoyed the texture that it brought to the muffins.  Best of all, they taste good.

To make these muffins, you will need:

250g fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 lightly beaten egg
1/4 cup olive or other vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 3/4 cups fat-free strawberry yoghurt
1 tablespoon demerara sugar

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. 

Combine the flours, cinnamon, brown sugar and cranberries together in a bowl.  Stir in the egg, oil, yoghurt and strawberries.  (I used 1 cup yoghurt + 1/2 cup light sour cream + 1/4 cup skim milk.)  Spoon the batter into the muffin cases, and sprinkle the tops of the muffins with demerara sugar.  (I just used granulated white sugar.)

Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.  Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before unmoulding onto a wire rack to cool completely.  (The resting part is important, as the fruit content makes the muffins a little fragile when they first come out of the oven.)

14 comments:

  1. Healthy and delcious muffins.

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  2. I'm with you on the strawberry thing - I think I'd substitute raspberries.

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  3. bookmarked - I love to use other berries but strawberries are often cheapest. I have had some success with baking with them but I have been searching for a good go to recipe to bake with when they are really cheap

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  4. I know what you mean about strawberries, but my dad makes a two-crust strawberry pie that is to. die. for. The strawberries just get soft and sugary and hot hot hot and bubbly. I'm making myself hungry!

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  5. Hmm good question! I think I do like strawberries in baked goods although they don't lend themselves to them as naturally as say blueberries or raspberries!

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  6. I'm ready for strawberry season here in the states! I'm excited to try this recipe! They look delicious.

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  7. I'm not big on baking with strawberries either, but these sound like a really good, healthy muffin. The strawberry/cranberry combination sounds really good too.

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  8. I love muffins with yogurt...they are always so moist.

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  9. It's interesting that you like the strawberries in here. I'm personally not a big fan of strawberry-baked goods (maybe with the combination of white choc..) but I'm willing to try it if you say!

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  10. Lauren, I would love to hear more about the two-crust strawberry pie - any chance of it appearing on your blog?

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  11. Brittany, I think the cranberries really give a power boost to these muffins, lifting up the strawberry flavour and making them less of a soft gooey mess.

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  12. I absolutely LOVE fresh strawberries in baked goods. I make strawberry scones and Martha has a great strawberry cupcake recipe that I make quite a bit in the summer. I have looked for a strawberry muffin recipe and haven't been successful - this one looks so good. I can't wait to try it.

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  13. Yum! I love strawberries and if done correctly they taste great in baked goods. These muffins look like they would taste great.....yum!

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