I love a good muffin especially with a cup of tea! I don’t make a lot of cherry recipes because I don’t care for them, however my family loves cherries. I got a bag of sweet cherries from the grocery store which were perfect for this recipe. These muffins are delicious, easy to make, and you can freeze them so you’ll have delicious cherry muffins to enjoy any time you’d like!

Cherry Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup fresh pitted and quartered cherries
1 tablespoon white sugar

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F; grease a muffin tin with paper liners.
Mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, milk, egg, and almond extract together in a small bowl.
Pour into flour mixture; stir gently until incorporated.
Fold cherries into the batter.
Spoon batter into the muffin cups, filling each 2/3 of the way full.
Bake muffins in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar on top.
Remove from pan and allow to cool before serving.

Tips to bake the best cherry muffins:

Avoid overmixing: For tender muffins, mix the wet and dry ingredients only until they are just combined. A lumpy batter is a good thing! Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to a tough, dense texture.
Room temperature ingredients: Use ingredients like eggs and milk at room temperature. This helps them combine more easily and creates a smoother, more uniform batter.
Consider almond extract: A small amount of almond extract is a classic pairing that enhances the cherry flavor. A simple combination of vanilla extract and cinnamon also works well.
Fill tins properly: Fill your muffin tins about two-thirds full for standard, rounded tops. For a bigger, bakery-style dome, fill the liners all the way to the top.
Use the right temperature: For muffins with high, bakery-style tops, start baking at a higher temperature (like 425°F) for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F for the remainder of the bake time.
Test for doneness: Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. It should come out clean when the muffins are fully baked. Be aware that you may hit a cherry, which can result in a little gooey juice on the toothpick.
Cool on a rack: Once they come out of the oven, let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. This prevents them from becoming soggy on the bottom.
Add a topping: Create a flavorful and crunchy topping by mixing chopped nuts, coarse sugar, and cinnamon to sprinkle on top before baking.
Add chocolate: For a Black Forest-inspired flavor, fold dark chocolate chips or chunks into the batter.
Use brown sugar: Substitute some or all of the granulated sugar with brown sugar to add a caramelized, richer flavor.