Description
Delicious cherry cobbler muffins with a sweet cherry filling and a crumbly cinnamon topping. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet treat!
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries (if frozen, thaw slightly)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but highly recommended!)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, let sit for 5 minutes)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the Cherry Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, granulated sugar, and cornstarch. Stir well to coat the cherries evenly.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (about 5-7 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and almond extract (if using). Let cool slightly.
- Make the Muffin Batter: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (or milk mixture), melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Create the Cobbler Topping: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon.
- Add the cold, cubed butter and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Assemble and Bake: Fill each muffin cup about halfway full with the muffin batter.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cooled cherry filling over the batter in each muffin cup. Gently press the cherries down into the batter slightly.
- Sprinkle the cobbler topping evenly over the cherry filling in each muffin cup.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter: Overmixing leads to tough muffins. Mix until just combined.
- Use cold butter for the topping: Cold butter creates a crumbly, flaky topping.
- Let the cherry filling cool slightly: This prevents the butter in the batter from melting.
- Adjust sugar to taste: If your cherries are very tart, you may want to add a little more sugar to the filling.
- Storage: Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for longer storage.
- Variations:
- Add nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts would be a delicious addition to the cobbler topping.
- Use different fruit: Try using blueberries, raspberries, or peaches instead of cherries.
- Add spices: A pinch of nutmeg or ginger to the batter would add a warm, spicy flavor.
- Glaze them: Drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over the cooled muffins for extra sweetness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes