Lemon and Cherry Muffins – A lightly sweet muffin flavored with Meyer lemon and dried cherries great for snacks or for breakfast.
When I was planning last night’s dinner, I really wanted to include a little something sweet for dessert. But it had to be something not-too-sweet. You know?
I mean, really, after all those rich, sticky, ooey-gooey pecan and pumpkin pies we had at Thanksgiving, we just want something to counteract it all, don’t you? As usual, when I start planning a recipe, I look around for what I have on hand that needs to be used up. I knew I had a couple of partial packages of dried cherries in the pantry. Those are so good and not too sweet. I thought I could use those, surely. But what else?
That’s when inspiration struck. Meyer lemon. Yes!
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and always seems to lighten up a dessert. And I just happen to have a little Meyer lemon tree that lives in the bay window of my office and is loaded right now with ripe fruit.
So I decided to combine some Meyer lemon zest and juice with dried cherries and almonds in a light batter, and these lovely little muffins were the result. I hope you’ll try them and enjoy them, too.
🥄 How to Make Lemon and Cherry Muffins
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Place paper liners in 18 muffin cups and set them aside for now.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, oil, lemon zest and juice. Mix well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Try not to overmix. Gently stir in the cherries and almonds.
Fill muffin cups about ¾ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Remove the muffin pans from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
You could dust these muffins with a little powdered sugar or make a little lemon glaze to drizzle over them. But, honestly, I don’t think they need anything except a nice cup of coffee or tea.
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📖 Recipe
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Lemon and Cherry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup canola oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup dried cherries
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place paper liners in 18 muffin cups. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, oil, lemon zest and juice.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
- Gently mix in the cherries and almonds.
- Fill muffin cups about ¾ full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Remove muffin pans from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Remove muffins from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
I just made these, and they are delicious! We are new to gluten-free baking, but my daughter is becoming intolerant and since we are home COVID-quarantining, it’s a great time to try some things out (and having a drawer full of Meyer lemons doesn’t hurt)! I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF baking mix, and it worked like a dream. I didn’t have almonds, so used a bit of almond extract, and it adds a nice warm depth of flavor. I got 17 muffins out of it, and baked them for 17 minutes and they were just right–a little browned and crisp on top, and pillowy soft inside. Thanks for a great recipe!
Aww, these muffins look so cute and precious. They must taste delicious too since I like both cherries and lemons and they go well together. It was really lucky you have that little lemon tree with ripe fruit on it at this time of the year. I can’t seem to place my plants in the right place, they always dry up or turn light green; the house is positioned in an inconvenient way and all the windows have radiators underneath them, so it’s too warm for most plants I’ve had so far. Well, I don’t mind, I go to the market and get everything I need, so it’s all good. My next trip there will be for cherries and lemons. :)
Hugs, Flora
Living in South Florida…I must get a meyer lemon tree!! :) Just found out the other day that my grandmother has one on her patio. Mmm….love lemons!!
That’s also one of my favorite sayings, “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” Learning to be frugal over the years as a stay at home mom has been so amazing…when the economy made a downturn after 9/11 it didn’t affect our lifestyle. And now that my hubby is unemployed…it continues to serve my family well!!
Merry Christmas Lana!