Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins

It has been much too long since my last post!

I wish I could say that I've studied the art of photography and the photos that I post will no longer look like they were taken in the dark.  Maybe someday.

It's not that I haven't been cooking dinner.  I just haven't cooked anything new that hasn't already been included in this blog!

This week I've made Chicken Pot Pie , Chicken Piccata , and Lemon-Marinated Chicken Sandwiches (the latter of which I'm happy to say has finally been edited to include pictures)!

I'll get my act together soon, I promise.

Erin's been baking.

Lemon cupcakes with strawberry frosting.

There were plenty of strawberries left over, so I put them to good use and made muffins.

Today's Playlist

• "Buddy Holly".........Weezer
• "Animal"........Neon Trees
• "Re-Education (Through Labor)".........Rise Against
• "Santeria"........Sublime
• "It Goes On and On".......The Avett Brothers
• "Runaround"........Blues Traveler
• "Short Skirt/Long Jacket".......Cake
• "Beverly Hills"........Weezer
• "Sins Of My Youth"..........Neon Trees
• "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".......George Harrison

Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins   (From Nigella Lawson)

• 1 cup strawberries, slightly under ripe, diced into quarter-inch pieces
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Gather your ingredients.

  Line a 24-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups ( I chose to use foil cups.  I'm like that, you know.  I'm a lone wolf.  I never follow.  This will not be the only time I deviate, I promise).

Dice your strawberries.  I sliced them about 1/4" thick.......

........then piled the slices up..........

.......and criss-crossed diced them.

'Til I slaughtered 'em all.

You will notice that the recipe calls for slightly under-ripe strawberries.  This was not explained, but I'm guessing that you need under-ripe strawberries for their firmness.  Easier to dice, not mushy and probably hold up better when baked.  I'm guessing.

Not a problem when buying supermarket strawberries in New England in September.  They are all under-ripe.

Put diced strawberries into a bowl, spritz lemon juice on them and stir gently to combine. ( I took a lemon half , squeezed it over the strawberries, maybe used a tablespoon of juice.)

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour.....

.......sugar..........

........and baking powder.

Whisk to combine.

In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream..........

........vanilla.......

........and egg.

After you've beaten (or in my lone wolf case, whisked).........

.........pour the mixture over the dry ingredients.

Stir to combine with a wooden spoon.  I didn't deviate here.  I used a wooden spoon.  There must be a reason.  

Fold in the strawberries.

Like this.

Divide batter evenly among the cups in the mini-muffin tin.  I used a heaping tablespoon to fill each cup.

I went off the reservation and took out my large-crystal sugar and sprinkled it on top of the muffins.  I like a little crunch on top of my muffins. 

Now they're ready to bake.  Place in your preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until a cake tester (or in my lone wolf case, a toothpick) comes out clean.

(For the record, Nigella recommends lightly dusting the muffins with powdered sugar, by shaking a sieve with a teaspoon of powdered sugar over the muffins after they have cooled.)

Place tin on a wire rack and leave for 5 minutes.  Take out the muffins and continue cooling them in the paper cups on the wire rack.  

Or you could just put them on a plate, like I did.

Or you could eat them while they're still warm, like I did.

I have to give credit to Nigella Lawson.  Thank you, Nigella, this recipe is a keeper!

Enjoy!