Plump, juicy cherries are the star of this cherry muffin recipe. Topped with a cinnamon almond streusel and drizzled with a simple glaze, these muffins are mixed by hand and ready in about 30 minutes. Like most of my fresh cherry recipes, these muffins are made with sweet, not sour, cherries.
Whether you are a beginner level baker or a seasoned pro, this recipe works for everyone. Muffins are a great starting point for those that are new to baking because they don’t require anything more than a bit of mixing and stirring.
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More summer muffin recipes we love: Blueberry peach | Peach muffins | Easy blueberry muffins
Ingredients for cherry muffins
Common pantry ingredients are used for this simple muffin recipe. Aside from the fresh cherries, you probably have everything you need already!
I used the cinnamon streusel recipe from my banana muffins for the topping. It pairs beautifully with the fresh cherries and can be used on any kind of crumble. Below is everything you’ll need to make this cherry muffin recipe.
Muffins are always best on the day the are baked, which is why I normally save them for the weekends, because we can slow down enough to actually enjoy them.
How to make streusel topping
The streusel recipe for these cherry muffins is super simple. No cutting in butter or working the mixture between your fingers.
Mix the sugars, flour, oats, almonds and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Pour the melted butter in and mix with a fork to combine.
Try not to break the chunks of streusel into really small pieces, as it will melt into the cherry muffins instead of staying on top like it is supposed to.
The muffins themselves are not overly sweet, so the addition of the streusel topping is especially nice. It not only gives it a bit of texture, but it also gives the muffin a little extra sweetness.
For a little extra something, make a simple glaze with powdered sugar and milk to drizzle over the tops.
What is the muffin method?
The muffin method, which isn’t just for muffins, is basically this:
- Dry ingredients in one bowl
- Wet ingredients in another bowl
- Pour wet into dry
- Stir just until it’s all incorporated
- Bake your muffins
I love an easy recipe like this. There is comfort in knowing that it is a simple, straightforward task and you are all but guaranteed a good result.
Especially when that result is warm muffins full of fresh fruit and buttery streusel topping. If you want to get deeper into it, you can read all about the muffin method from my friend Jenni.
Helpful tips and tricks
Here are a few helpful tips for success. One word of advice when making muffins – make sure that the milk and eggs are room temperature before you start.
Why does this matter? Because when you pour melted butter into cold milk, it will immediately clump up instead of incorporating properly into the mixture. When everything is room temperature, this doesn’t happen.
Yep! Cherry season is short, so using frozen cherries is a great way to enjoy this recipe all year.
Muffins freeze really well. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour. Wrap tightly and store in the freezer for about a month.
Yes. You can make it ahead and store it in the fridge.
Recommended tools and equipment for this cherry muffin recipe
- A cherry pitter is without a doubt your most valuable tool when it comes to working with fresh cherries.
- I prefer using a rubber spatula to stir the batter, as it’s easier to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate the flour instead of stirring with a spoon.
- Nonstick muffin pans are perfect for those who don’t want to use paper liners.
- If you are going to use paper liners, go straight to commercial bakeware, like this traditional muffin pan.
- Tulip style paper liners – these are the exact same liners that I used.
- A 2 ounce scoop will give you uniform muffins. I highly recommend using it.
What other recipes can I make with fresh cherries?
Here are a few of our favorite cherry recipes and ones that I make almost every summer.
- Cherry crumb cake
- Fresh cherry daiquiri
- Cherry crisp recipe
- Cherry hand pies from scratch
- Sour cream cherry scones
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Cherry muffin recipe with almond streusel
Plump, juicy cherries are the star of this cherry muffin recipe with almond streusel.
Ingredients
For the muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (8.5 ounces by weight)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk - any kind of dairy or non-dairy milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 stick butter (8 tbsp.), melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, stems and pits removed, then sliced in half
For the cinnamon almond streusel
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp.), melted and cooled
For icing drizzle
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 - 2 tbsps. half and half or milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with papers, butter and flour the pan or coat with nonstick baking spray. Whichever method you prefer.
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the streusel except the melted butter. Pour in the butter and mix with a fork until you have coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Combine milk, eggs, sugars, vanilla and butter in separate bowl and whisk to incorporate.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Gently stir with a spatula until not quite fully mixed.
- Add cherries by folding in with a spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Again, do not overmix. This will make your muffins tough.
- Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin with streusel topping.
- Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let muffins cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once muffins have cooled completely, combine powdered sugar and milk or half & half in a small bowl and drizzle over the tops.
Notes
You can use frozen cherries in place of fresh if cherries are out of season.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information calculated by a third-party company as a courtesy. It is intended as a guideline only.
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