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We have two cherry trees in our yard, and this is the first summer that we got an actual cherry crop. The girls have had a blast picking the cherries and have become quite adept at removing the pits. I used some of our harvest to make these light and fluffy glazed cherry muffins. The muffins make a great snack or the perfect light breakfast on a hot summer day.
Here we go. Time to share an embarrassing picture. I’ve mentioned before that I used to have a food blog back in the olden days (2006-2009). I shared a similar cherry muffin recipe back on my old blog and well, let’s just say I wasn’t quite so into photography back then. Drumroll please….ta da!
I am sure glad that I bought a DSLR camera and learned to use it! OK, embarrassing moment over, and since I shared one with you I fully expect to hear about all of your embarrassing moments in the comments (kidding!). Back to the recipe, here’s a pretty picture to make you forget the last one.
This recipe for glazed cherry muffins is super simple – it’s a lightly sweetened buttermilk based batter that you can whip up in about 5 minutes. The hardest part is pitting the cherries. I use a cherry pitter, but my friend Rosie has an awesome cherry pitting method that involves a chopstick and a wine bottle!
When I say this muffin is lightly sweetened, I mean it – this is definitely not a cupcake masquerading as a muffin. I prefer my muffins on the less sweet side, which makes them perfect for a quick breakfast on the go or for an afternoon snack for the kids.
The vanilla glaze adds a perfect finishing touch to the muffins. I don’t even think these lasted 24 hours in my house, they were a big hit. You can use the same buttermilk batter and swap out the cherries for blueberries or raspberries if you like, or even peaches would be wonderful. If fresh cherries aren’t in season, frozen will work too, you just want to thaw the cherries and pat them dry before adding them to the batter.
I’m definitely going to be making these glazed cherry muffins again soon, I want to put some in the freezer for all those busy mornings when we’re rushing out the door. What’s your favorite quick breakfast?
Glazed Cherry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cherries pitted and quartered
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- cooking spray
- For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, melted butter, egg and vanilla in a bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Gently fold in cherries. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove muffins from pan; cool on a wire rack. After the muffins have cooled, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and serve.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead: To save time you can combine the dry ingredients ahead of time and store them in a labeled bag in your pantry. Then when you want muffins, all you have to do is add the wet ingredients and bake!
Little Helpers: My girls helped with every aspect of this recipe, it's a great one to make with your kids.
Freeze It: The muffins keep for 3 months in the freezer. They freeze best without the glaze.
More breakfast delights:
Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
Apricot Raspberry Dutch Baby
Lemon Sour Cream Waffles
These muffins look great! I love that you used fresh cherries!
Cherry season is my favorite! I haven’t tried putting them in muffins but boy do these look great!! I need to try them out.
The beautiful cherries I’ve seen at the store lately have been calling my name and I haven’t given in to buying any yet! I think you’ve convinced me that I just need to get back there and bite the bullet. . .oh, and then make these muffins, of course!
You should buy then now, quick before they’re all gone for the year 🙂
I love having fruit trees in the yard! How lucky! These look perfect!!!
Thanks Amber! It looks like we’re going to get a big crop of persimmons this year too, so you’ll be seeing persimmon recipes from me in the fall 🙂
Your food posts always make me hungry! They look so damn delicious!!
Cherry season is the best! These look incredible.
They look absolutely amazing! I will save this recipe for later, thank yoz for sharing! I bet they are soo delicious.
You and I are peas in a pod. I’m going with yogurt popsicles for breakfast these days and glazed muffins with cherries or blueberries are right down my alley:) As for owning a cherry pitter, it’s been life changing for me, as I never knew the delights of cooking with cherries before. Now I’m obsessed with putting cherries in desserts.
A cherry pitter makes life so much easier! It’s one of those kind of odd gadgets that you wonder why people have…until you own one yourself, and then you get it 🙂
Ooooh I love cherries! These look so good 🙂
http://www.MariaProvenzano.com
I love seeing before and after pictures of how far food bloggers have come! You are amazing! We all have to start somewhere, so do not stress about those old pictures. I will admit though, these new photos… I am drooling! I have some cherries in my fridge so I may have to get around to these muffins sooner than later!
Thanks Kacey! I just look back on the old pics and laugh, back then I just didn’t even care, I figured if the recipe was good then the picture didn’t matter. Boy how times have changed 🙂
Ugh, that looks so good. I wish I was having that for breakfast instead of fruit. Damn diet!
Um, these muffins have fruit…so diet food? Not quite, but I tried 😉
Oh my those look wonderful Sara! I love anything with cherries! I shall have to try these, wonder if they would work well with coconut flower….gluten sensitive stinks! :/ Thanks for sharing!
I don’t know if they would work with coconut flour, but my guess would be if you tried an all purpose gluten free flour mix it would work.
I love cherry anything. These look wonderful!
Yum! And a great way to use those awesome fresh cherries we are seeing around right now.
Thanks Crysta, I figured I better make the most of cherries before they’re gone for the rest of the year!
What a beautiful post! These look divine!
These looks so yummy! I might have go to the store and get some cherries!
Do it, you won’t be sorry 😉
These muffins look delish! One of my all time favs! Thanks you sharing!
So yummy! Definitely pinned this one for later, although I may use Marion berries instead.
This would definitely work with marionberries!
Congrats on your cherry harvest! I did a similar post with a recipe from 2006 and today with comparison photos. So amazing to see how far we’ve come – your photos are gorgeous. 🙂
Thanks Kimberly, just checked out your site and I love your pictures too, that CAKE! 🙂
Fabulous! I’m going to try these with some pie cherries I just bought. Maybe sweeten them a bit before adding.
Sounds great, you could either toss the cherries in a little sugar or try upping the sugar in the recipe by a few tablespoons.
These muffins sound so delicious, and I love blueberries! I’ll have to try a batch of cherry and one of blueberry, too. Thanks for sharing!
They would be great with blueberries too!
Cherries are probably my hubby’s favorite fruit, so I’m pretty sure he would LOVE for me to make these! That glaze on top looks so good, too!
These sound so delicious! My almost 3 year old has decided cherries are his favorite, so I’ll have to try these!
Cherry muffins sound like my heaven! I love anything cherry and these muffins would be no different!
I think we all have those embarrassing pictures. Heck, I am still trying to figure out my camera. lol
These muffins look delicious!!! I love cherry anything! Pinned!
this sounds good. Something new to try as well. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon