Strawberry Muffin Tops

I’ve cut out the middleman and made the best part of the muffin. These Strawberry Muffin Tops are fluffy and lightly sweet with bright pops of fresh strawberry and crispy crackly tops. Drizzled with an amazing vanilla glaze, they are an irresistible breakfast or treat!

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Today I am bringing you a recipe for the best part of another recipe. As much as I love my buttermilk muffins, and they are amazing, I'm a muffin top girl at heart. These Strawberry Muffin Tops are strictly for those of us who just want the crispy edged, fluffy and puffy tops of a muffin. You know, the best part!

When I worked at the bakery we made blueberry streusel muffins that were mostly muffin top. The bakery's muffin recipes made a very loose batter and when the muffins baked they rose up and out of the wells, forming one giant muffin top that had to be cut with a knife before selling individual muffins.

That is not what I wanted. I wanted a muffin top made with a rich and thick muffin batter that would rise up in individual muffin tops without the need for a knife or a special pan. By using Greek yogurt that is exactly the result I got. The batter is super thick because of the thickness of the yogurt and it spreads very little during baking. Let's check out the perfect muffin top!

Ingredients & Substitutions

This is a pretty standard group of muffin ingredients, but I have a few substitutions you can easily make if you are missing anything, because you need these muffin tops in your life.

• All-purpose flour - If you have lots of self rising flour, from making my 2-ingredient biscuits, my 3-ingredient pancakes, or my Easy English muffins, you can use that here! Just skip the baking powder and the salt when gathering your ingredients, as self rising flour contains those.
• Plain Greek yogurt - You need the thickness of Greek yogurt to make these muffin tops rise up rather than spread out. If you don't have Greek yogurt, sour cream will do the job!
• Salt - I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt in all of my recipes, both sweet and savory, so I always know how salty things will be. If you have a favorite salt, feel free to use it, but if using regular table salt, you might want to reduce the amount as it actually has a saltier flavor than kosher salt.
• Sugar - I use regular granulated sugar, or table sugar, for these muffins, but you can use brown sugar if you want a richer muffin top.

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

Variations

• Blueberry - Replace the strawberries with an equal amount of blueberries to make my blueberry muffin tops!
• Cinnamon streusel - Skip the berries and add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to your dry ingredients. Make a streusel by mixing ¼ cup granulated sugar or brown sugar and ⅓ cup all-purpose flour. Use a fork, or your fingers, to cut in 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. Sprinkle crumb topping on top of each muffin mound before baking.
• Banana - Reduce the yogurt to ¼ cup and add one mashed banana to your wet ingredients. Follow the recipe as written.

How to make muffin tops

Making muffin tops is quick with this easy recipe. Mix the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients separately and then stir them together. This is a thicker batter, so that your muffin tops will rise up, rather than spread out. Then you just need to scoop and bake.

As always, I encourage you to read all the instructions, look at the pretty pictures I took, and then bake yourself something delicious. Let's get into it!

• Start by heating your oven to 400°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (spray foil with nonstick spray). Then melt your butter and allow it to come to room temperature while you get the batter started.

Step 1: Dice your fresh strawberries into small pieces and lay them in a single layer on a piece of paper towels. Place another towel on top and press lightly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. This will pull out excess surface moisture from the strawberries. Place strawberries in a small bowl.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Add one tablespoon of the mixture to your strawberries and toss together. Set both aside.

Step 3: In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together completely.

Step 4: Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix halfway. Continue mixing while you drizzle in your melted butter. The batter will be thick, and that's exactly what we want.

Step 5: Fold the strawberries into the batter until they are evenly dispersed in the batter. Let batter rest for 15 minutes.

Step 6: Using a medium scoop, or a couple of spoons, make twelve mounds of muffin dough on your prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the muffins with sparkling, granulated, or turbinado sugar if desired.

Step 7: Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown and risen well. Check for doneness by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the center of a muffin top. If it comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs, it is done.

Step 8: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Allow muffin tops to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then drizzle generously with your glaze.

Hint: If your batter isn't very thick, only scoop six muffin tops per pan and bake on two sheet pans. This way you'll get actual muffin tops and not a muffin pancake. Alternatively, you can purchase a special muffin top pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

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