True or false… we’ve all reached our limit on banana bread? I know… I never thought the day would come but it has!! So while we’re still all living that quarantine life, let’s make something new and something summery with pantry staples!! Strawberry Muffins with Walnut Streusel!!
You know I love adding CA Walnuts into my Mezze Boards and into my Sticky Buns and into pasta… but today they are front and center IN these muffins and on top. The California Walnuts get mixed into the very easy batter and then made into a simple streusel to go on top. It is EVERYTHING! Hands down these are one of the most versatile kitchen staples in my life!!!
Ok let’s get into these shall we? The muffin base is simple - all staples in the kitchen, nothing hard to find! If strawberries aren’t quite at their peak by you, you can use any other berry! Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, you name it!
The batter will be thick before you bake - NOT TO FEAR! That’s the goal.
Let’s talk walnut streusel!! You can buy the walnuts in halves or pieces! If you use halves, you’ll need to give them a rough chop before using since you want the streusel to stay on top of the muffin and not sink down!! The walnuts are combined with brown sugar, obviously a match made in heaven. Flour, duh. Lemon, to give you a little zip that you never knew you were missing! And salt to make all the flavors really pop and come to life!!
And in case you’ve forgotten - if you’ve got some walnuts on hand right now and they are sitting in your pantry…. Go put them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge! It’ll extend their life and keep them fresher longer! I even started to keep mine in the freezer for maximum life span! They live on the shelf right next to my ice cream and ice face roller - PRIORITIES ALL STICK TOGETHER!
A few FAQ’s you might need to know:
Like I said earlier - this muffin recipe can use any fruit. Keep the ratios the same. And if you’re using frozen fruit, be my guest. Just be sure the fruit is thawed and blotted dry before incorporating into the batter.
How do you store these: in an airtight container in the fridge is my method of choice! They will last for about a week in the fridge. Or you can store them in the freezer for months on end but good luck letting them sit around that long. They’ll be long gone within a few weeks!
Looking for more amazing breakfast ideas? Check out my 100 favorite breakfast recipes here
Strawberry Muffins with Walnut Streusel
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest, about 1 large lemon
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, quartered
For the Streusel
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup finely chopped California walnuts, plus ⅓ cup medium chopped for garnish
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest, about 1 large lemon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Line 2 cupcake tins with wrappers and spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large mixer combine the butter and sugar until pale yellow, add the zest, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat well for an additional 2-3 minutes making sure to scrape down the sides. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk until mix until combined, making sure to scrape down the sides during the process. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold in the strawberries. Set the batter aside.
- Make the California Walnut Streusel by combining all ingredients in small bowl. Using your fingers, mix it around until it’s crumbly and set aside.
- Fold half of the streusel mixture into the batter and stir to combine. Spoon ¼ cup of the batter into each cupcake mold. Sprinkle the top with a few teaspoons of the streusel. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the cake is light and fluffy and a toothpick can be inserted into the center and is clean when removed. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photography by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
** This post is brought to you by CA Walnuts. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for What’s Gaby Cooking**
Can I use peaches instead?
SURE CAN!
Can you use frozen strawberries
Yes - just thaw and blot dry
Just made these today with some strawberries that were on the verge of going bad and they are SO GOOD. Highly recommend!
omg so happy to hear it! xx
Delicious made with homegrown strawberries in Indiana! A new favorite muffin that is easy and tasty and looks fancy! Thanks!
Hi! Found you on IG and saw your interview with Jamie Beck. This is the first recipe I've tried from your blog and I loved it. Wish I had followed your direction, though, about lining the muffin pan with cupcake liners because I used a 6 jumbo muffin capacity pan and liberally greased and floured it (which has always worked in the past), but this time because the incorporation of strawberries add a fair amount of water to a cake, the muffins were too wet to take out of the pan easily in 1 piece - even after completely cooling. With that said, the flavor, texture and tenderness were all there. Love the addition of walnut streusel. I'll try next time with cupcake liners. And you're right, this was a nice departure from #quarantinebaking banana bread. Thanks, Gaby! 🙂
Thanks for new go to brunch muffin! Fantastic with Oregon walnuts too:)
Always looking for great recipes as local berries hit PDX farmers market.
This sounds so delicious - especially with all those fresh from the farm california strawberries we have now! Yumm! Can you suggest an easy way to make this gluten free? Would brown rice flour be a 1:1 substitute for the AP flour? Thank you so much!!
I haven't tested it with brown rice flour. I think a 1:1 gluten free blend would be the way to go
These look so good! If I don’t have lemons would it be terrible to leave out the lemon zest?
yes that's fine!!
Can you make these with almond flour?
almond flour doesn't have the same consistency of an all purpose flour so it's not a 1:1 substitution so I wouldn't recommend it!
Can these be frozen & served later? There are only 2 of us at home during the pandemic!
yes they freeze great!
I still love banana bread, but these might be a new love!
Gaby, I don’t have buttermilk on hand. Suggestions to substitute?
you can use milk with a squeeze of lemon