One last summer muffin for you all while the berries are having their last hurrah. I was inspired by strawberry pancakes, something we usually enjoy in Vermont right around this time (insert crying emojis here). This is a better-for-you muffin, made with whole grain flour and sweetened with maple syrup. (I mean, all of my muffins are moderately healthy I think, but I made some more conscious decisions with these). David says he can’t tell the difference, so I will take that as a positive endorsement. The pastry flour keeps them light, the poppy seeds give them a pleasant subtle nutty flavor (and a little crunch), the maple syrup acts as both the sugar and the glaze, and plenty of small-diced strawberries means fruit in every bite.

The method (and proportions) will be familiar by now, but I would just take special care when mixing them together-it’s especially important to keep the batter nice and fluffy. I do notice these take a bit longer than usual to set up. You may want to allow a good 30 minutes resting time before consuming. Also, keep in mind the color is darker, so you might be inclined to remove them from the oven before they are actually completely done. (As I may have done on my first batch…and then the tops sunk…) You’re looking for a pretty deep golden brown color.

It’s helpful to have all the wet ingredients at room temperature: melted butter, yogurt, maple syrup, egg. As always, the butter should be cool enough so it doesn’t scramble the egg. Additionally, if the syrup is “fridge cold” it can harden the butter when you combine the two.

Strawberry Maple Poppyseed Muffins

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: BreakfastCuisine: Muffins

Servings

9-10

muffins

Cost

21

$

Total time

45

minutes

If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, use 1 cup whole wheat flour plus 3/4 cup white flour.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp poppy seeds

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup, divided

• 1 egg

• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole milk)

• 1 cup diced strawberries

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375, and line a muffin tin with muffin liners, or coat with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
• In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and 1/2 cup maple syrup, mixing briefly.
• Add the egg and the yogurt to the maple-butter mixture, and mix until somewhat smooth.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and fold until just combined.
• Carefully fold in the strawberries, trying not to deflate the batter.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin tin cups, filling almost all the way to the top. You should get 9 very full muffins, or 10 more moderate ones. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
• Remove from the oven, let cool 10 minutes , then brush the muffin tops with the remaining 2 tbsp maple syrup. Let cool almost completely before removing from the tin/eating.