Recipe: Sour Cherry Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Makes12 muffins
If there ever was a perfect time to treat yourself to a dark chocolate-studded muffin for breakfast, it’s while sour cherries are making their much-awaited appearance at the farmers market. Sour cherry season is fleeting — blink and you just might miss it. So, when you spot them at the farmers market pick up a basket without hesitation, then preheat the oven and pull out the mixing bowls as soon as you get home because you’re making these nutty, chocolate, sour cherry-filled muffins.
The Sweetest Way to Eat Sour Cherries for Breakfast
These muffins start with a mix of whole-wheat and all-purpose flour for nutty undertones and a hearty texture that makes them feel wholesome. It’s balanced by a swirl of tart and tangy sour cherries and chopped dark chocolate, for just the right amount of sweetness without going overboard.
While it’s easy to pop plump, heart-shaped sweet cherries in your mouth one after the other, sour cherries even more delicious when baked. True to their name, they have an assertive tart and sour flavor that can be seriously overwhelming when eaten out of hand. They’re often used for pie because they hold their shape well, but that takes a lot of cherries. For muffins, a small basket is all you need. Their flavor mellows during baking, and is balanced by the subtly sweet muffin batter and chunks of sweet, bitter chocolate.
Sour Cherry Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups
whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup
all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup
granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon
baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon
salt
- 1 1/4 cups
whole or 2% milk
- 1/2 cup
vegetable oil
- 1
large egg
- 1 tablespoon
vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups
fresh sour cherries, pitted and halved
- 3 ounces
chopped dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon
coarse sugar
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Line a standard 12-well muffin pan with papers liners or coat the wells with cooking spray; set aside.
Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Some lumps are fine. Fold in the sour cherries and chocolate. Divide the batter among the muffin wells. Top each with 1/4 teaspoon coarse sugar.
Bake until the muffins are golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Storage: The muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.