Strawberry Muffins...no, Cupcakes...no, Muffins...okay, Bread

I'm not very girl-y. I never have been. As a child I refused to wear anything even remotely pink and a dress was the equivalent to being put in the stockade, but I have always loved strawberries. My great-grandmother used to have a strawberry patch behind her house ( wait...have I told you this before?) and it was our job to pick them all so she could make jam. I'm not sure how good of a worker I was since I think more berries went in my tummy than in the jelly pot.

Now, I have a daughter of my own and while she may look like me, she is a much different child than I was. She is very girl-y. She loves dolls and dress-up and she prefers a dress over a pair of blue jean shorts any day, but she does share my love of strawberries. She and I could clean out a few pints of berries in one sitting.

So today, while it thundered and rained outside, my children and I pulled out my grandmother's recipe box and found her recipe for strawberry bread. She used to make it in loaf pans, but I went with muffin pans. When they were done, I couldn't decide whether they were muffins or cake. They are sweet and fruity and pink. They even taste pink! I thought about an icing or a glaze of some kind, but they really don't need it. I was thinking though that these would be perfect for a little girl's birthday party or even a baby shower, but a rainy day works too.



Strawberry Bread/Muffins/Cupcakes



1 stick of butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 t. baking soda dissolved in it

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 - 8oz jar of Strawberry Jam

1 t red food coloring ( or until you get the right color)

Optional:

1/4 c. chopped nuts



Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together until light and fluffy. Add eggs in one at a time until incorporated.

 Add in sour cream. Slowly add in flour until just combined.

Stir in jam and food coloring.

 Portion batter out into paper lined muffin pans or a greased and floured loaf pan.

 Bake until toothpick comes out clean,

about 20 minutes for muffins, and 50 minutes for a loaf.