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Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins

These simple Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins have such wonderful flavor. They make a great grab-and-go breakfast or a sweet snack.

strawberry muffins in a towel-lined shallow bowl

Strawberry Muffins with Brown Butter

Muffins are one of the first things that come to mind when I have fresh berries for baking. Berries just lend themselves so well to mixing into a simple muffin for a sweet, fruity breakfast, brunch, or anytime treat.

These Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins aren’t your ordinary muffins, though. No, these have one thing going for them that sets them apart from the rest. There’s brown butter in these beauties. Just that one additional step adds so much rich, nutty flavor to these muffins. Combine that with plenty of strawberries, and you’ve got a real winner.

a strawberry muffin on a wooden surface with more muffins in the background

These muffins are filled with lots of chopped strawberries. For aesthetic purposes, I also like to place a strawberry slice on top of each muffin before baking. That (as well as the sprinkling of coarse sugar) is entirely optional, but it certainly dresses them up a bit.

I really, really love these muffins. They are easy to make, have lots of flavor, and are versatile enough to work for everything from breakfast to a snack. If you’ve got some strawberries just begging to get turned into really great baked goods, then give this Brown Butter Strawberry Muffin recipe a try!

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What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Here are some notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make these strawberry muffins.

overhead view of ingredients for strawberry muffins
  • Unsalted butter – Browning butter gives these muffins wonderful flavor. As with most any melted butter used for baking, let it cool a bit before adding it to the other ingredients.
  • All-purpose flour – Measure by weight or use the spoon and sweep method.
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brown sugar – I prefer light brown sugar for these muffins.
  • Eggs – Allow these to come to room temperature.
  • Sour cream – Full-fat sour cream works best. Bring the sour cream to room temperature, too.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Strawberries – You’ll need chopped fresh strawberries along with 12 strawberry slices for topping the muffins. You can certainly omit the slice on top, but I just love the look of it!
  • Coarse sugar – A sprinkle of coarse sugar on top of baked goods is one of my favorite little extras to add. While not required, that small addition adds some sparkle, a little crunch, and a sweet bite.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Fresh strawberries will give you the best results in both flavor and texture. But if you need or want to use frozen, there are a couple of things you can do to make sure they work well. Don’t thaw the strawberries before using them. To keep the color from bleeding into the muffins, rinse them in very cold water and dry them as thoroughly as possible. You can also toss them in a bit of flour to help counteract the extra moisture found in frozen berries. Learn more: Fresh vs Frozen Fruits in Baking

How to Make Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins

These muffins mix quickly and easily, with just an extra step for browning the butter. You won’t need your hand mixer for these; just grab a big mixing spoon!

Brown the butter. Place the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam. Continue cooking while stirring occasionally. When brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and the butter has a nutty aroma, remove from the heat. Allow the butter to cool slightly.

Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners, or grease the muffin tins if you want to skip the liners.

Combine the dry ingredients and sugars. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and brown sugar. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Combine the wet ingredients. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the cooled butter, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the flour mixture. Stir just until combined or a few streaks of flour remain.

Add the strawberries. Gently fold the strawberries into the batter.

Portion the batter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, using about 3 tablespoons of batter to fill each cup about 3/4 full. A 3-tablespoon scoop works makes this easier and more accurate.

Bake. Place the pan in the oven, and bake 18 to 22 minutes. The muffins are done with a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer the muffins from the pan to a wire rack to continue cooling.

overhead view of strawberry muffins scattered on a wooden surface

Should I line muffin pans?

I tend to use paper liners when I bake muffins to give them a little extra protection for those grab-and-go times. However, it’s perfectly fine to skip the liners if you want. Just keep in mind that not using liners usually yields muffins with browner, crisper edges. Liners will give you lighter, softer edges.

Tips for Success

  • Keep an eye on the butter. It can go from browned to burned pretty quickly. Watch for the visual and aromatic queues described in the recipe.
  • Mind the muffin method. This mixing method works best to incorporate the ingredients without over-mixing. You can leave your electric mixer unplugged for these. To learn more, read The Muffin Method.
  • Use a scoop to portion the batter. Cookie scoops are great for portioning muffin batter. It simplifies the process and helps ensure that the muffins are all the same size so that they’ll bake more evenly.
strawberry muffins and a bowl of strawberries on a wooden surface

How to Store

Once the muffins have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container. Line the container with paper towels and add another layer of paper towels between layers of muffins and on top of the muffins before sealing the container. You can also store them this way in a single layer in a zip-top bag turned on its side. The muffins should keep for up to 3 days.

Can These Muffins Be Frozen?

Yes, you can freeze these muffins! After the muffins have cooled, place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bags. It’s a good idea to line the container with paper towels to absorb any extra moisture. Stored properly, they should keep in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for an hour or so before serving. You can also warm them briefly in the microwave or oven.

strawberry muffins lined up on a wooden surface

Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins

Yield 12 standard-size muffins
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes

These Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins combine fresh strawberries with the rich, nutty flavor of brown butter for a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack.

a strawberry muffin on a wooden surface with more muffins in the background

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup (170g) sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170g) chopped strawberries
  • 12 strawberry slices
  • sanding sugar or turbinado sugar

Instructions

  1. Place the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to foam.
  2. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and the butter has a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line or grease 12 standard muffin cups.
  4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the sugar and brown sugar. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
  5. Place the eggs in a small bowl and beat lightly. Add the cooled butter, sour cream, and vanilla, and stir to combine.
  6. Add the egg mixture to the well in the flour mixture. Stir just until combined.
  7. Stir in the chopped strawberries.
  8. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, using about 3 tablespoons of batter to fill each cup about 3/4 full. (I like to use a scoop for easy portioning.)
  9. Top each muffin with a strawberry slice and sprinkle with a pinch of sanding sugar or turbinado sugar.
  10. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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    11 Comments on “Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins”

  1. These muffins look so delicious and perfect for weekend brunch!

  2. It looks so delicious… I think I will cook it for our anniversary in the morning to the coffee… I hope she will like it so much and would love to spend the rest of her life with me… haha
    This strawberry looks like a heart and my woman love strawberry so she will be completely mine… Thank you so much for such a beautiful recipe. I will tell you later her react) Because I am planning to hide inside of the cake a ring. I am worried that she can eat it… lol I hope everything will be okay. Take care!

  3. OMG, I”ve been wanting to try these since I first saw the recipe. Made them this morning for breakfast and after eating at least 1 muffin worth of the batter I ate 3 more after the got cooked. These are the best dang muffins ever!

  4. Wow, really, I can’t get over that delicious taste! So simple and yet – sooo great. Thank you for this recipe – it’s a real keeper.

  5. It looks so delicious… I think I will cook it for our anniversary in the morning to the coffee…

  6. This cake looks so beautiful and mouth-watering. Strawberry is love for everyone. Amazing recipe, thanks for sharing.

  7. I look forward to making these when I am able to gather all the ingredients. (This hasn’t always been easy when ordering my groceries as I have since mid March.) I have a very odd question that may allow me to make them today. Can you tell me what sort of results I could expect from a recipe if I substituted cream cheese for sour cream?  

    • Hi, Miranda. Cream cheese and sour cream will affect the texture and flavor differently. Think of the consistency of each and that will tell you a lot about what each would do to the batter. Also, cream cheese would need to be beaten, so it’s not a great addition to a recipe that follows the muffin method. You’ll get a more cake-like muffin with that creaming method. If you have a thick yogurt on-hand, that would be a good substitute for the sour cream. Otherwise, take a look at something like these Coconut Cream Cheese Oat Muffins for a cream cheese-based muffin that is made with the creaming method.

  8. I just had to comment and say I made these muffins dairy and egg free (my daughter is allergic to both) and they turned out AMAZING. Seriously, the best muffins I’ve ever had vegan or not! For the eggs I used 2Tbs of Ground Flax Seed Mixed with 5Tbs of warm water, let sit for a few minutes to thicken. For the butter I used Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks. For the Sour Cream I swapped Kite Hill Plain Unsweetened Yogurt. I’m telling you, no one would know these were vegan! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!

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