The strawberry is one fruit everyone in my family likes. This strawberry streusel muffin recipe is one of my family’s favorites! From the first time I made these, a few years ago, we were hooked. I make them a couple of times during strawberry season with the best berries Florida has to offer! Florida strawberry season falls in the winter months and we often take time at the end of the season to head over to nearby Plant City to pick our own red, juicy berries. It’s a great family event and quality time spent together on a weekend day. After picking for a couple of hours, we end up with a few flats and I come home eager to make freezer strawberry jam, strawberry ice cream and any other strawberry recipe I can get my hands on. Many of the berries end up being frozen for later use in smoothies, milkshakes and more. Frozen berries are a good choice to make my strawberry sauce which is perfect over toasted pound cake or vanilla ice cream or a combination of both.
I found this recipe in a cookbook dedicated to the luscious red berries – Simple Strawberry Sensations! by Laura York, a former meteorologist in the Tampa Bay area. Every recipe in her cookbook uses strawberries. Over time, you’ll see I’ll post other recipes from this book.
But first, let’s talk about these muffins. Although they are a bit involved to make they are well worth the effort. Originally the recipe called for sliced strawberries but, after making them a couple of times, I decided to chop them. The muffins tend to fall apart when the berries are sliced, especially if the berries are big, which is often the case with Florida strawberries. The smaller berry pieces really work better at keeping the muffin together. Serve these muffins for breakfast, brunch, on a buffet or as an accompaniment to an breakfast quiche. For a different twist on the icing, substitute lemon or lime juice for orange juice.
Ingredients
- For the muffins:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- For the streusel topping:
- 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- For the orange glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon orange juice
Instructions
- Make the muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the egg butter and half and half. Mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in the strawberries and orange zest. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups.
- Make the streusel topping:
- In a small bowl combine the pecans, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Mix well. Stir in the butter and mix well. Sprinkle evenly over the muffins. Gently pat mixture into muffin batter to help make it stick.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.
- Make the orange glaze:
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar and orange juice, mixing well. Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins and ENJOY!
