Summer Cherry Muffins

Updated:  June 2023

Summer is my favorite fruit season.  Fresh berries, peaches and melons are in the farmer's markets and make great additions to recipes, like these Summer Cherry Muffins.

This year the fresh cherries are especially sweet and good, so it's time for these tender, lightly sweet muffins.

You can use fresh or dried cherries in this, or maybe blueberries or raspberries.  Any fresh, wonderful summer fruit would work.  

I know you're looking at that luxurious glaze.  I used heavy whipping cream because that's what I had in the refrigerator, but you can you regular milk or half-and-half. 

But it makes such a pretty, thick glaze when you use cream.

This recipe is very versatile.  If you're using 'wet' fruit (fresh cherries, peaches), be sure and gently pat the fruit fairly dry before adding to the batter.  It can make a difference in the color and texture of the muffins.

Summer Cherry Muffins are easy to put together easy to eat. Enjoy them for breakfast, snacks, or on a brunch table.

Just to let you know, this recipe makes 24 muffins. They freeze well... or you could give some to your nice neighbors!

If you like these, you may also like the amazing Apricot Muffins or the never-fail, always delicious cinnamon Doughnut Muffins.

How to keep the glaze so pretty and white?  Use clear vanilla instead of regular.

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Summer Cherry Muffins

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Full of fresh cherries, these go wonderfully with coffee or hot tea. 

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Ingredients

• 2 ¾ Cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoon (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ Cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ Cups sour cream
• 1 ½ Cups pitted cherries, roughly chopped
• Glaze:
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 drops of orange extract
• ½ teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour muffin tin cups or line with paper muffin cups.  
2. Combine flour, soda and salt in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, almond and vanilla extracts, sour cream and dry ingredients. Mix until just moistened (over mixing will make the muffins tough).
4. Fold in the cherries.  (be sure you've dried the cherries very well so the juice doesn't turn the batter gray!)
5. Fill the muffin cups about ¾ full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. Move to a rack to cool.
6. Cool mufins competely, then mix together glaze ingredients to the texture you like and drizzle about ½ teaspoon on each muffin.

Notes

Tips and Stuff :

I used fresh sweet cherries (and quartered each of them), but you can use frozen sour cherries, canned or dried.  Be sure they’re dried thoroughly or you'll have an icky, gray colored muffin.

Mine were done in 18 minutes – keep an eye on them.

You can use regular milk in the glaze, but it won't be as creamy. I make mine fairly thick as you can see by the photos!

The clear vanilla helps keep the glaze ultra-white, but if you only have regular vanilla, use it. Careful with the orange extract - too much and it will be bitter.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g

Nutritional values are approximate.