Tart Cherry Muffins
The very best tart cherry and almond muffins, that ever existed! Why? Because your Monday is truly in need of a pick me up in the form of a perfectly sweet and tart cherry muffin. These muffins are extra special, made with fresh cherries, almond extract, and all the fixings for a perfect muffin. They’re moist, with just the right amount of tender crumble, packed with flavor, and beyond delicious! And to top it off, they’re incredibly easy to make! Try eating them fresh out of the oven with a nice smear of butter that immediately melts right in! And I assure you, these will not disappoint!
Tender and moist with the perfect amount of crumble.
My husband, loves cherries. Fresh, baked, flavored, you name it, he loves it! I had a bag of cherries in the fridge for the testing of this recipe and I think I had to remind him probably 100 times not to eat the bag of cherries! Oh the pains of being a recipe tester, haha! Needless to say, he was glad he waited because these melt in your mouth muffins are phenomenal. Well worth the wait!
I decided to add almond extract to the muffins as well. I just love the nutty and tart contrast between the cherries and the almond. It enhances each flavor individually and gives you a really full, and robust flavor pairing. I debated adding real almonds to the muffins but last minute decided to keep them out. I wanted that real soft and crumbly texture to these muffins and didn’t want the crunch from an almond to take away from that. However, if you’re feeling wild, I think it would totally be a great addition to this recipe!!
When these were baking in the oven, I don’t even think I can effectively communicate how amazing my house smelled. The 25 minutes we had to wait for them to be done baking, felt like absolute agony! We were all huddled around the oven waiting for these little sweeties to be done and ready to be eaten. And what I really mean is devoured. Because that is exactly what my family did. We utterly DEVOURED them.
And the best part of all of this? They’re so easy to put together.I will give a few suggestions that I think will help ensure these muffins are the best they can ever be! Just like with cakes, we want to really beat the butter/sugar mixture. You want to mix for approximately 3 minutes. Once you begin to incorporate your dry ingredients and milk, low and slow is key! Do not whip it fast. You’ll lose all those beautiful air pockets and come out with a dense muffin. So not what you want! Once everything is combined, STOP! Don’t be tempted to keep whipping. It will not help you in any way. Less is always more when it comes to baking!
My last tip for you is to buy a cherry pitter. I did not and my gosh, I wish I had. It took a decent amount of time to de-pit all of the cherries that this recipe requires. And when you have four kids who are suddenly very quiet while you SLOWLY do this process, well, let’s just say it’s never a good sign! So trust me, give yourself some love and buy that cherry pitter! And don’t forget to reach out on social media and let me know how these turned out!!
Love and Brownies,
Kate
The crunch of the Reese’s puffs sets this cookie apart
What You’ll Need For These bars:
You’re not a cheap wine type of gal. Because every time you go down that route, you wake up the next morning with instant regret. Don’t be the “cheap wine” baking girl, splurge on those quality ingredients. Trust me, they really make a difference.
Sugar: Just the good old granulated sugar for this recipe!
Vanilla: I like to use vanilla bean paste. It definitely enhances the flavor and one recipe I recommend using the good stuff for.
Butter: Go ahead and set your butter out ahead of time. You will also want unsalted butter for this one!
Lemon Pudding Mix: This is where the party gets started. Holy cow did this make the dessert so insanely good! You’ll want instant pudding mix
All Purpose Flour: My favorite brand is King Arthur. And it really does make a difference to buy the more expensive one. It’s better quality, which results in a better cookie!
Milk: We use whole in our family, but any kind will do.
Cream Cheese: Make sure it is at room temperature before using! Otherwise you will find clumps in your mix and you seriously don’t want that.
Lemon Juice: The fresh squeezed lemon juice just takes the cake for me. It makes it so light and refreshing.
Lemon Extract: I have found using a more expensive brand makes a difference. The cheaper brands tend to have more alcohol flavoring to them and less essence of what you are wanting.
Lemon Zest: Totally optional but adds another layer of lemon that really enhances the overall flavor!
Creamy Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup lemon pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 8 ounce cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8x8 inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with paddle attachment), beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla for 3 minutes, on medium speed.
- Turn mixer to low speed and slowly add the pudding mix and flour. Add in milk. Turn mixer off when dough comes together.
- Press half of the dough into your baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Place the other half of dough in refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
- Let crust cool completely before adding filling.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with paddle attachment), beat together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract, zest, and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
- Pour filling over completely cooled crust and smooth out with spatula.
- With remaining crust dough, sprinkle it on top of the filling by crumbling it evenly across filling.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown.
- Let cool for 30 minutes. Enjoy the best lemon dessert your mouth has ever tasted!
