Strawberry Lemon Muffins

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STRAWBERRY SPRINGTIME MUFFINS

Spring is the most inspiring and hopeful season of the year. Wondrously it arrives at the perfect moment. One day we wake up to the sound of birds singing, and we realise that the days will begin to shine brighter.

Spring is a season that deserves to be celebrated. It is known as a time of rebirth. Everything comes back to life during spring - the flowers begin to blossom, animals awaken, and fragrant fruits begin to ripen.

After a long winter of devouring almost exclusively citrus fruits, it’s a joyful experience to see the first baskets of fresh strawberries at the market. Another indication that spring has arrived!

To celebrate this beautiful season, I am sharing a recipe for my favourite spring muffins. These muffins are filled with sweet strawberries, a hint of lemon and taste as delicious as the springtime sun feels on your skin. There is no better way to celebrate this beautiful season than with a colourful tray of sweet strawberry muffins.

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HEALTH BENEFITS

Strawberries are a delicious and healthy fruit. They contain vitamins C and K, potassium, folate, magnesium, are rich in fibre, antioxidants and polyphenols. Plus, the antioxidants and phytochemicals found in strawberries may also help to reduce inflammation of the joints.

In their natural state, strawberries are a healthy and delicious treat. However, strawberries are frequently listed as the top produce item in the dirty dozen list for being contaminated with pesticides. If in doubt, buy local organic strawberries to reduce the risk of pesticide exposure.

Lemon can boost the immune system and is very high in antioxidants and vitamin C. The peel of lemon has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties.

SELECTING THE BEST FLOUR

Delicious baking begins with selecting the correct flour for your creation. When making muffins that are meant to be light and fluffy, it’s best to use soft wheat flour.

A good way to check if you are using the right flour is to look at the protein percentage on the package. If the percentage falls between 8% and 10%, then it’s an ideal flour that will result in fluffy muffins with a light texture. To determine this, look at the nutritional information on the package. If, for example, the package lists 10 grams of protein per 100 grams of flour, then the protein content is 10%.

In North America, the most common flour is all-purpose flour. It contains a mix of hard and soft wheat. It can be used instead of soft wheat flour, but the results will be slightly more dense muffins. This is because all-purpose flour has a higher protein content.

The name all-purpose flour is quite misleading, in my opinion. When in doubt, check the label for the protein percentage.

For this reason, I love Italian flour brands. If you have ever been to an Italian supermarket and wandered through the flour aisle, you would see that there are countless types of flours. Each package distinctly labelled for its baking or cooking purpose.

In Italy, they make it very easy to choose the correct flour. This might be one of the reasons why Italian pastries and desserts are so delicious. It all begins with selecting the best flour!

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY LEMON MUFFINS

This recipe contains deliciously sweet strawberries, a hint of fresh lemon, homemade almond milk and sugar of your choice. I used soft raw cane sugar that I find works well with balancing the sweetness of the strawberries. You could also use light brown or white granulated sugar for slightly sweeter muffins.

No dairy or eggs have been used. In their place are olive oil and homemade vegan buttermilk. The vegan buttermilk is easy to make, and while you can definitely use storebought almond milk, I find that it turns out best when made with homemade almond milk.

You can use homemade vegan buttermilk as a healthy substitute for dairy milk in all your recipes. All you need is one cup of almond milk and a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Within a few minutes, you will notice that the almond milk will begin to thicken and curdle. This is what it’s meant to do; set it aside for later.

Next, in a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt and stir with a whisk.

In a separate larger bowl, add 1/2 a cup of sugar, a 1/4 cup of olive oil, the zest from half a lemon and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Stir the ingredients and then add in the vegan buttermilk and mix.

Lastly, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together. Gently fold in the sliced strawberries and combine, being careful not to overmix the batter.

Add the batter to a muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes 190°C (375°F).

Enjoy!

Strawberry Lemon Muffins

Yield: 12 pieces

Author: Michelle Pedullà

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

  • 200 grams of sliced strawberries (1 cup)

  • 250 ml almond milk (1 cup)

  • 240 grams soft wheat flour (2 cups)

  • 70 grams sugar (1/2 cup)

  • 1/4 cup olive oil (65 ml)

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • zest of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Step 1: Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and prepare a muffin tin with parchment paper or muffin liners.

  2. Step 2: In a measuring cup combine the almond milk and lemon juice. Set it aside for a few minutes to allow it to thicken.

  3. Step 3: In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients.

  4. Step 4: In a separate larger bowl add the sugar, olive oil, lemon zest, vanilla extract and mix together. Next, add in the vegan buttermilk and stir to combine the ingredients.

  5. Step 5: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix them together. Gently fold in the sliced strawberries being careful not to overmix the batter.

  6. Step 6: Add the batter to the muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.Step 7: Check with a toothpick to see if it's ready. Insert a toothpick into the centre of a muffin. If it comes out dry and clean, the muffins are ready. If not, continue to bake for another 1 to 2 minutes.

  7. Step 8: Remove from oven and let the muffins cool in the muffin tin before serving.

Notes

Tip: To keep fresh strawberries from spoiling store them in the fridge uncovered and wash only before using them.

Hi I’m Michelle

I’m a certified nutrition specialist, herbalist, and plant-based recipe developer. I'm an ambassador for healthy living and clean eating promoting a diet free from processed foods.

Try out some of my healthy recipes or shop my limited-edition seasonal wellness remedies. I also offer 1:1 personalized nutrition coaching for anyone serious about transforming their health.