Cherry Jam Streusel Muffins

We start by making a quick jam with frozen + dried California cherries because it’s winter and this lets us enjoy the joys of cherries all year long. We squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, a touch of almond extract and a pinch of cardamom and then we set aside to cool completely. After a minute you can stash it in the fridge to expedite the cooling down process.

Then we throw together some streusel which is what I consider one of the many wonders of the world. If we can streusel it, I’m here for it. I added sliced almonds (from CA, of course), but you can add any nut you’d like (pecans maybe?).

What Makes These Cherry Jam Muffins So Fabulous, You Ask?

• The muffin base is soft, airy and moist
• They are mixed + baked in 45-ish minutes — easy peasy! 😉
• Super simple to throw together and they don’t need a mixer
• Recipe includes tips for getting a beautiful puffed crown, including an optional 10 to 20 minute rest time for the batter 
• The most delicious, super simple cherry quick jam

Now can we finally talk about this muffin’s base? I kept telling Stella that I swear this is the most delicious muffin base I’ve ever made. Another bold statement, but I mean it. For the fat, I used California olive oil, eggs, heaps of lemon zest, more almond extract and the usually baking suspects (flour + sugar). These guys are soft as the fluffiest pillow and so incredibly moist. I cannot recommend them enough.

Image credit: Alycia Moreno for CA GROWN.[/caption]

How to Get a Fabulous Muffin Crown

These are my favorite tips for getting a nice muffin crown:

1. Let your muffin batter rest for about 20 minutes. Sometimes I do as little as 10 minutes and other times up to 30 minutes. You can also rest the batter overnight in the fridge (trust me, they’ll bake up fabulous!).
2. Only fill every other muffin well. Filling every other muffin well will let the hot oven air evenly circulate around the muffins giving them as much lift-off as possible from the heat.
3. Don’t use muffin liners. I love muffin liners and I’d rather sacrifice some muffin crown for a convenient, portable muffin with a liner on it. However, I have found that skipping liners yields a highly desirable puffy crown. Just make sure you really grease your muffin tin so they don’t get stuck in there!

Can you ignore all of these tips and still get a beautiful muffin? YES! So if you can’t be bothered, then don’t! The one that I think yields the best results is #1. So if you only do one…

Baking Tools for This Muffin Recipe

My favorite heat-safe, glass, stackable bowls, my favorite whisk, my favorite spoonula, my fav microplane (for fresh nutmeg!), 2 tbsp cookie scoop (because we can’t live without them!), a practical muffin tin (not the one in the photos).

The Baker’s Guide to Measuring Flour

One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes in baking is how we measure flour. If you find yourself without a scale, see my top tips on how to properly measure flour for the perfect amount every time!

More Breakfast Treats!

I absolutely love my Favorite Blueberry Muffins, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Chocolate Espresso Muffins *AND* my Crispy Buttermilk Waffles that have been my go-to since we lived in Beijing. A quick note on these…you can use all-purpose flour for all of the flour if that’s what you have on hand!

Cherry Jam Streusel Muffins

Quick cherry jam, an olive oil-y, lemony muffin base dotted with crunchy streusel. These are delicious and can be made the night before and assembled + baked off in the morning! xo

5 from 1 review

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Course: Breakfast Brunch

Cuisine: Muffins

Keyword: Muffins, Cherry, Jam, Streusel, Breakfast, Brunch, Baking

Servings: 12 Muffins

Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

For the Cherry Quick Jam

• 10 oz (284 grams/2 cups) frozen cherries
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (32 g) dried cherries
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon cardamom

For the Streusel

• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoons (54 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
• 1/4 cup (23 g) old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup (70 g) light brown sugar, (packed)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons (2 oz/58 g) unsalted butter, (room temperature and cut into 4 pieces)
• 3 tablespoons chopped almond slices

For the Muffins

• ½ cup (118 ml) olive oil
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (281 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup (236 ml) milk, (room temperature)

Instructions

For the Quick Jam

• Place the frozen cherries, sugar, dried cherries, lemon juice, corn starch, almond extract and cardamom to a heavy-bottomed, medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Use either a potato masher or the edge of a spatula to mash the cherries so you have some smaller bits. Bring the mixture to a boil, mashing as you go, and after a minute or two of boiling it should start to thicken. Lower the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 4-5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced a bit and the mixture has thickened. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Set aside to cool completely before assembling the muffins.

For the Streusel

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Using a pastry blender or your hands, work the butter into the mixture until it resembles wet sand and when pinched together it holds into clumps. Gently mix in the almonds and place in the fridge. If storing overnight, cover; otherwise it’s fine for an hour-ish. After you bake the muffins you will have some leftover streusel which freezes beautifully, fyi!

For the Muffin

• In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the oil and granulated sugar on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically so that everything is well mixed together. With the mixer on low add the eggs one at a time, mixing the first completely before adding the second. Finally add in the lemon zest and almond extract and mix until smooth and combined. Take the bowl out of the mixer.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk into the oil-sugar mixture in two batches, ending with the milk. Stir until just combined. Cover and let sit in the fridge at least one hour. **IDEALLY, let this batter chill in the fridge for at least one hour. It can sit covered in the fridge overnight as well. This gives the flour time to absorb the moisture and makes for a puffier crown.
• Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) and place a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven, at least 6-inches from the heat source. Line every other muffin well with a muffin liner. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter to the muffin liner, top with 1 teaspoon of cooled jam, another 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter, another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of jam and then crumble some streusel over the top. Make sure to pinch the streusel as you drop it over the top in little clumps. Also, you want your muffin liner filled 3/4s full. Fill the empty muffin wells with a little bit of water; fill them about 1/4 of the way full. Be careful transferring the tray to the oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the top third of the oven or until a toothpick comes out clean and/or they bounce back when gently pressed in the center. For best results, bake one tin at a time. Let cool in the muffin tin for about 10ish minutes, then use a butter knife to help get them out to finish cooling on a rack. Serve with leftover cherry jam!

Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo

This post + recipe was created in collaboration with California Grown!! A big THANK YOU to them + you for supporting the brands I work with! When shopping, look for the California Grown license plate logo to know that you’re getting the goods from our awesome state!!