Description
Flaky crumble, juicy cherry centers, and a tender muffin crumb — these muffins taste like cherry cobbler you can hold in one hand.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cherry filling
- 4 cups pitted sweet cherries (fresh or frozen; if frozen, let them thaw a bit)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp almond extract (optional — it brightens the cherry flavor)
For the muffin batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- ¾ cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the streusel
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the cherry filling
Place the cherries, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy — about 5–7 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the lemon juice and almond extract if using. Set the filling aside to cool while you make the batter so it won’t melt the butter in the batter. - Prep the oven and tin
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups well. - Build the muffin batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips to work it in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, beaten egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together just until the batter comes together — a few lumps are fine. Overmixing will make the muffins tough. - Make the streusel
In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into the dry mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Keep the streusel chilled if your kitchen is warm. - Assemble the muffins
Spoon roughly 2 tablespoons of batter into each lined cupcake cup. Add about 2–3 tablespoons of the cooled cherry filling on top of each portion of batter (don’t overfill). Finish each muffin with a generous pinch of streusel. - Bake
Bake 18–22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let the muffins rest in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Tips & Notes
- Keep butter cold. Cold butter in both the batter and crumble creates little pockets of steam during baking, giving a flakier texture.
- Avoid overmixing. Stir the batter until just combined — overworking develops gluten and makes muffins chewy.
- Cool the filling. Use cooled filling so it won’t liquefy the batter or melt the butter.
- Adjust sweetness. If your cherries are very tart, add a tablespoon or two more sugar to the filling to balance the flavor.
- Buttermilk swap: No buttermilk? Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar into regular milk and let sit 5 minutes.
- Almond extract: Small amounts go a long way; add sparingly to avoid an artificial taste.
- Variations
- Sour cherry version: Use tart cherries for Sour Cherry Muffins — they contrast beautifully with the sweet crumble.
- Dried cherries: Rehydrate dried cherries in warm water, drain, then fold them into the batter for a pantry-friendly Dried Cherry Muffins option.
- Nuts: Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel for crunch.
- Other fruits: Swap cherries for blueberries, raspberries or diced peaches to turn this into other seasonal cobbler muffins.
- Storage & Freezing
- Room temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep up to 5 days (stir to refresh texture before eating).
- Freeze: Wrap individual cooled muffins in plastic wrap, store in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave or oven.
- Serving suggestions
- Enjoy warm with a pat of butter, a dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a dessert twist. They also pair perfectly with coffee or tea for breakfast or brunch.