Strawberries, Part 2 — Strawberry Muffins

I have made this recipe for strawberry muffins several times over the last few years, and it seems to be better than most others.  The only other muffin recipes to give Ina Garten a run for her money are by Ottolenghi.  But the Ottolenghi recipes can be so fiddly sometimes that I have to build up a bit of stamina before starting one.  They are always well worth it though.  Anyway, this recipe calls for a nice mix of berries — blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and that is what I normally do.  (I also usually use frozen berries.)  However, with so many strawberries coming out of our ears, I skipped the medley and opted for just strawberries.  And they were divine — so divine, in fact, I've made them twice in a week.  And yes, a whole batch is currently residing in the freezer, because we'd have to be out our minds to eat that many muffins in such a short span of time.

When making these, do make sure to use paper muffin liners.  Every now and then I forget that berry recipes demand them.  If you simply brush the inside of your tins with butter, then half the muffin (the half with the berries making contact with the tin itself) will stay inside the tin and practically refuse to ever come out. Rather annoying — especially as your previously gorgeous muffins now look all mangled and disastrous.

Also, for some reason Ina Garten always calls for extra-large eggs.  She is the only cookbook author that calls for this and it drives me bananas.  Maybe I should start a petition or something against it.  Anyway, in the past I have taken an additional egg, whisked it, and then used only half, making me think that must be equivalent to two extra-large eggs.  But that is very wasteful, and besides organic eggs are nearly 5 bucks a dozen.  Now, if the batter looks somewhat dry, I'll simply add an extra splash of whole milk and say a prayer.

As I've already said, the muffins freeze beautifully.  Just pull them out the night before you want them, and let them come to temperature, fully wrapped, on the counter.  When you wake up, turn the oven on to 350°F, put the muffins on a lined baking sheet, and plonk them in the oven for 5-7 minutes to crisp up.  Nothing worse than a soggy muffin first thing in the morn.

Tri-Berry Muffins
makes 16-18 muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cup milk
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup fresh raspberries
½ cup diced fresh strawberries
1 ½ cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Line two muffin tins with papers and brush the top of the pan with melted butter.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Take a wire whisk or a spoon or something and stir until thoroughly combined.  In another bowl, add the milk, eggs, and melted butter.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ones right into it.  Stir just until combined.  There will be some lumps, but DO NOT over-mix the batter, for crying out loud.  Add the fruit and the sugar, and fold gently to combine.

Using a small ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into the tins.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until nicely browned and a tester comes out decently clean.  (Recipe from: Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten.  Clarkson/Potter Publishers, 2006.)