Sour Cream Cherry Muffins

This morning, I was looking for a breakfast muffin recipe to make for a Sunday treat. I had saved a recipe from our local newspaper for French Sour Cream Muffins by Karen Maihofer who is the the owner of a local cooking school. However, her recipe called for currants and, having none, I decided to substitute dried, tart Montmorency cherries that I always have on hand for nibbling.

FYI, did you know that cherries have the highest levels of disease-fighting anti-oxidants compared to other fruits? I love mixing a bag of walnuts or almonds and dried cherries to have in the car or to take on the airplane when traveling.

I chopped the dried cherries into small bits, as the recipe called for using a mini muffin pan, then hydrated them in the microwave with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.

While still warm from the oven, they are dipped in butter and then cinnamon sugar in the French style.

The texture of these muffins is slightly dense, which I enjoy. They are best eaten warm, right after sugaring, but you can wrap them in foil and reheat them in the oven the next day too, although I think they taste just as good cold.

Sour Cream Cherry Muffins
Inspired by French Sour Cream Puff Muffins by Karen Maihofer

Printable Recipe

Makes approximately 2 dozen mini muffins. Recipe can be doubled.

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the chopped cherries with the lemon juice and heat for 45 seconds in a microwave. Stir, allow to cool and drain excess lemon juice.

Melt the butter and mix the 1/2 sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.

Cream the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg and blend. Blend in the sour cream, flour, baking powder, salt and hydrated cherries. The dough will be somewhat stiff. Fill the mini-muffin pans 3/4 full with the batter and bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove muffins from the pans, and while still warm, dip them into the melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar.