I am ambivalent about muffins. I love them in certain situations; I loathe them often. I have particular muffin requirements. They can't be too sweet. They are not cupcakes, for heaven's sake. They must have chunkies of some sort - fruit is best, nuts are tolerable, raisins are unacceptable. I have been known to enjoy a lemon poppyseed muffin now and then, but it better be one fine muffin specimen. I like them to have some amount of whole grain flour to give them heartiness and depth. Again, it shouldn't be cake. They should be soft and melt-in-your-mouth. And they must be small-ish in size - a nice snack with coffee, a bit of breakfast with some yogurt or cereal. The current intractable trend of giant, dense, saucer-sized muffins has much to do with my suspicious attitude toward this particular baked good. I don't need 2000 calories in one muffin. I don't need it to be greasy and cloyingly sweet. I don't need it to weigh more than my triple venti latte. And don't even get me started on "muffin tops".
That being said, I am always up for trying a new muffin recipe that seems to meet all my requirements. This muffin recipe is based on one found under the foil lid of a Stoneyfield Farms yogurt container. I added a nutty streusel topping for crunch and tastiness.
Strawberry Streusel Muffins
Streusel:
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Muffins:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup Stonyfield Farm yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen
Mix together ingredients for streusel and set aside.
Preheat over to 375F. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Toss strawberries into the flour mixture. Then pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture and stir. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin. Top with the streusel. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Yields 12 muffins.