Strawberry Muffins With Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Kitchen time has been so fun lately. Like more fun than usual. I’ve really been exploring my creativity with baking and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

So I had mascarpone whipped cream on top of brioche french toast at my verrrry favorite breakfast joint, Snooze, recently and I’m kind of obsessed with it now. And since strawberries are in season, I figured why not combine the two somehow for a sweet summer treat.

These strawberry muffins taste almost like a strawberry shortcake. They’re like wonderful, decadent dessert muffins and the mascarpone makes for a nice creamy addition. I think they would go well with brunch as a sweet portion, coupled with a savory side or main dish. Or you can simply have dessert for breakfast (yessss).

Let’s get to it.

Strawberry Muffins w/ Mascarpone Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

A dash of salt

2 tsp baking powder

A dash of cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Organic strawberry preserves (this tastes best, but you can use whatever strawberry jam you’d like)

8 oz strawberries (about half a carton)

For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:

8 oz heavy cream

4 oz mascarpone cheese

2 tbs + 1 tsp sugar (or sweeten to taste)

Grease a muffin tin and preheat the oven to 400º F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Then in a liquid measuring cup lightly whisk the egg, vegetable oil and milk. Slowly add this to the dry mixture and fold until blended. Add the vanilla. We’re going to leave them as “plain muffins,” as the strawberry portion comes after they’ve baked in the oven.

Bake for 20 min, or about 18 min if using a dark, non-stick pan.

Meanwhile, we can get going on the mascarpone whipped cream. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, mascarpone and sugar (if you aren’t sure how sweet you want it to be, start with less sugar. You can always add more as you go). With the beater hooks slightly chilled, beat the mixture on high until it stiffens into a fluffy, whipped texture, about 3 min. Set it aside in the fridge.

Thinly slice your strawberries and set aside.

Once the muffins are done, allow them to cool on a rack for 10-15 min, then carefully slice each muffin in half horizontal ways so that you have a round little “muffin sandwich.” Spread a generous amount of strawberry preserves and as many strawberry slices as you would like on the bottom half and place the other half over the top. Drop a dollop of whipped cream over the top and garnish with strawberry slices. I added a bit of sliced almonds as well (you know I’m all about that crunch factor).

These are great to share with someone else, and be sure to have a couple of forks on hand! You’ll also want to make sure you store these in the fridge so the whipped cream does not melt. Enjoy enjoy! ❤

Cinnamon Apple Crumble Muffins

If you haven’t guessed already, I’m a little obsessed with apple cinnamon foods. Or maybe it’s my boyfriend’s influence. These cinnamon apple crumble muffins are one of his very favorite things to have for breakfast and with good reason. They’re light and airy, filled with juicy apples and topped with a crumbly crunchy cinnamon topping.

I also love creating traditions, so I whip a dozen of these up every year for breakfast on my boyfriend’s birthday. They pair wonderfully with a side of thick-sliced bacon, because everyone knows apples and bacon are basically meant to be together.

To make the original blueberry version, which is amazing, simply omit from this recipe the apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. I also use white and brown sugar for the crumble topping, where the original calls for all white sugar.

Cinnamon Apple Crumble Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

A dash of salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

A pinch of nutmeg (optional)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 apple, skinned and chopped

For the Crumble Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed and just barely softened

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400° and grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.

Toss the apple pieces with a dash of cinnamon, put them in a cup of cold water and let sit for about 5 minutes, then drain. This helps the apples retain their moisture when they go into the oven.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Then, in a liquid measuring cup, add the vegetable oil, egg and enough milk to bring it to 1 cup (you’ll end up needing about 1/2 cup of milk). Stir the liquid ingredients together until just combined, then fold it into your dry mixture just until the flour clumps are gone. Add in the apples.

To make the topping, mix all of the ingredients together with a fork so the mixture stays crumbly. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full and sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top. Bake for 20-22 minutes or about 18 minutes if using a dark, non-stick pan. Test with a toothpick to see if they’re done. Enjoy!