Cherry muffins are soft, moist and fluffy muffins bursting with sweet ripe cherries, topped with a crunchy sugar coating. This quick and easy cherry muffin recipe makes the best sweet summer breakfast or snack.
Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore a soft and fluffy muffin filled with fruit. My Peach Muffins, Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins and Raspberry Muffins, are a few of my favorite fruit filled muffin recipes on the blog. I know you’ll love this cherry muffins recipe just as much as I do.
- Layers of flavors and textures: From the soft and fluffy muffin, to the pockets of warm, jammy cherries baked into the muffin and the crunchy sugar topping, these muffins with cherries will delight your senses.
- You need a quick summer breakfast or snack. Whether you are looking for a sweet and delicious way to start your day or a need an easy grab and go snack, these sweet muffins with fresh cherries are the perfect summertime treat.
Ingredients
This recipe for cherry sour cream muffins require only a handful of simple ingredients to make. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract and fresh tart or sweet red cherries.
Substitutions
These moist and fluffy cherries muffins are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these homemade muffins if you need them.
- All Purpose Flour: To make this cherry filled muffin recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off of the weight (240 g) rather than cup for cup.
- Baking Powder: This recipe has not been tested with baking soda as a replacement for baking powder.
- Granulated Sugar: These fluffy muffins with cherries use granulated sugar but maple sugar would also work well to make this recipe refined sugar free.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt. Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Sour Cream: However, a thick and creamy greek yogurt works well in this recipe.
- Milk: Feel free to use your preferred milk.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a lovely background flavor that pairs really well with peaches, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Cherries: Ripe, but not mushy cherries are perfect for these muffins. Frozen and thawed or canned cherries like marachino cherries also work really well. Feel free to use what you have. Make sure to thaw and drain the frozen cherries or drain canned cherries. This muffin recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped cherries.
Variations
- Cherry Muffins with Streusel: Make an easy streusel topping by combining ½ cup (60 g) flour with 4 tablespoon (50 g) sugar and 4 tablespoon (56 g) cold butter until it forms a sand like consistency. Mix in ½ cup chopped sliced almonds until well combined into the streusel. Transfer to the fridge while making the muffins. Prepare the muffins according to the recipe directions, top the muffins with the streusel and bake.
- Mini Cherry Muffins: Follow my recipe for Mini Blueberry Muffins, but swap the blueberry for diced peaches. Make sure to dice the peaches into small cubes to ensure peaches in every muffin.
- Cherry Almond Muffins: Follow the recipe directions for my Raspberry Almond Muffins and replace the raspberries with fresh cherries.
- Almond Glaze: Top the cherry muffins with an almond glaze by mixing 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract until smooth and well combined. Drizzle on top of the cooled muffins.
How To Make
Learn how to make cherry muffins in a few easy steps.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In another bowl whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not overmix. Cover and transfer to the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes or up to overnight.
- While the vanilla muffin batter rests in the fridge, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for 30 minutes. Line 1 - 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners. For the tallest, more bakery style muffins, alternate every other cup with liners. Wash, dry and pit the fresh cherries. Chop the cherries. When it’s time to bake, fold the cherries into the rested batter.
- Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each of the muffin liners, alternating every other cup. Top with coarse sugar if you like. Bake the cherry vanilla muffins for 18 - 22 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes about with a few moist crumbs or when a finger pressed gently into the center of the muffins quickly bounces back. Cool the muffins in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store leftover muffins: Place the soft and fluffy cherry muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Then transfer the muffins to the fridge for up to 3 more days.
- Freeze the muffins: Make sure the muffins are completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Place each wrapped muffin in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you plan on freezing the muffins, skip the glaze.
- Thaw the muffins: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the muffins is to let them sit out at room temperature for at least two hours. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave the muffin for 20 - 30 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use flavorful cherries. Taste the cherries prior to baking with them. If the cherries don’t taste great on their own, they won’t bring any peach flavor to the muffins.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature.This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy and moist muffins.
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. Mix in the dry ingredients into the wet by hand until just combined.
- Alternate muffin wells in the muffin pan. This allows each muffin to get the maximum of amount of even heat circulating around it. The tops will still pop up, but they won’t be as high if you decide to fill all the muffin liners at once.
FAQs
Can I make this cherry muffin recipe as a loaf?
You absolutely can! Rather than transferring the muffin batter to a muffin pan, use a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake the peach loaf at 350 F (177 C) for 45 - 60 minutes.
What is the most common mistake when making muffins?
Overmixing is such a common mistake that can lead to dry and tough muffins rather than soft and fluffy ones. Remember that once the flour is added, mix the ingredients only until they are just combined.
How to make domed muffins?
There are a few things that can help create domed, bakery style tops on muffins. Make sure to let the batter rest for at least 30 - 60 minutes, use a higher oven temperature and alternate muffin wells.
Other Cherry Recipes To Try
If you try this Cherry Muffins recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
Cherry Muffins Recipe
Cherry muffins are soft, moist and fluffy muffins bursting with sweet ripe cherries, topped with a crunchy sugar coating. This quick and easy cherry muffin recipe makes the best sweet summer breakfast or snack.
Equipment
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml)
- 1 - 2 muffin pans
- 12 cupcake or muffin liners
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk, room temperature
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and chopped
- ¼ cup (50 g) coarse sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Set aside for now.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In another bowl whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not overmix. Cover and transfer to the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes or up to overnight.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature, ½ cup (120 ml) milk, room temperature
- While the vanilla muffin batter rests in the fridge, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for 30 minutes. Line 1 - 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners. For the tallest, more bakery style muffins, alternate every other cup with liners.
- Wash, dry and pit the fresh cherries. Chop the cherries. When it’s time to bake, fold the cherries into the rested batter. Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each of the muffin liners, alternating every other cup. Top with coarse sugar if you like.2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and chopped , ¼ cup (50 g) coarse sugar for topping, optional
- Bake the cherry vanilla muffins for 18 - 22 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes about with a few moist crumbs or when a finger pressed gently into the center of the muffins quickly bounces back. Cool the muffins in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature.
Notes
See Variations section of the blog post to top these cherry muffins with streusel, make them as almond muffins or to make them as mini cherry muffins.
Store: Place the cherry muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Then transfer the muffins to the fridge for up to 3 more days.
Cherries: Make sure to thaw and drain the frozen cherries. To make this muffin recipe with marachino cherries, use (1) 16 oz. jar. Drain and chop the cherries, but reserve the juice if you'd like to make a cherry glaze.
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