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A simple cherry muffins recipe made with butter, sour cream, and dried cherries. Soft, bakery-style muffins that bake up beautifully every time.
This cherry muffins recipe took a bit of testing before it came together just right. I tested the batter with butter instead of oil, adjusted the sour cream so the full container could be used, and made one important change to the fruit. Dried cherries gave these muffins better texture, better flavor, and far more reliable results than frozen. The final version is soft, well-risen, and easy to make with simple ingredients. The batter comes together easily using just a whisk and a spatula. A mixer can be used, but it isn’t necessary.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-Purpose Flour: the base of the muffins, providing structure and a tender crumb.
- Granulated Sugar: adds just enough sweetness and helps the muffins brown nicely.
- Baking Powder: gives the muffins lift and helps them rise evenly.
- Baking Soda: works with the sour cream to create a soft, light texture.
- Salt: balances the sweetness and brings out the cherry flavor.
- Butter: adds rich flavor and helps create a classic muffin texture.
- Eggs: they bind the ingredients together and support the rise.
- Sour Cream: keeps the muffins moist and tender, with a slight richness.
- Milk: thins the batter just enough for easy mixing.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: adds warmth and depth to the overall flavor.
- Dried Cherries: they provide concentrated cherry flavor without excess moisture.
- Sanding Sugar (topping): adds a light crunch and a simple bakery-style finish.
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a muffin pan (12 wells) with tulip baking liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk until combined.
- Into a large bowl add the very soft butter, eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and mixed together well.
- Using a sturdy spatula or spoon, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two increments.
- Stir just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Into a small bowl, add the dried cherries and 1 teaspoon flour. Toss until all the cherries are coated.
- Gently fold the cherries into the batter.
- With a large scoop, divide the batter into the 12 muffin pan wells.
- Liberally sprinkle each muffin with white sanding sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes.
- Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Remove onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing or freezing.
- Muffins are done when a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
WHY DRIED CHERRIES WORK BETTER
During testing, frozen cherries added too much moisture to the batter and softened as they baked. They also released a lot of color, which affected the look of the muffins. Dried cherries solved both issues. They provide amazing cherry flavor without extra liquid, and they hold their shape as the muffins bake.
Tossing the dried cherries with a small amount of flour before folding them into the batter helps keep them evenly distributed. The flour prevents the cherries from sinking to the bottom and keeps them from sticking together, so every muffin ends up with plenty of fruit throughout.
Tips for Bakery-Style Muffins
- Use tulip liners if possible. Tulip liners hold the batter in place, which helps the muffins bake tall without spreading or overflowing. They also give the finished muffins a clean, bakery-style look.
- Plan for large muffins. This recipe makes 12 generously sized muffins. Smaller muffins can be made, but the baking time will need to be shortened.
- Measure dried cherries carefully. Dried cherries are more concentrated than fresh or frozen fruit. Too many can weigh down the batter, so sticking close to the recommended amount gives the best results.
- Possible substitutions for dried cherries. Dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots can be used in place of dried cherries. Choose fruit that is soft and pliable, not overly dry.
- For questions about fresh cherries, freezing, and size changes, check the FAQ section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Cherry Recipes
Cherry Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick very soft)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 oz. dried cherries (plus 1 teaspoon flour)
- sanding sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a muffin pan (12 wells) with tulip baking liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk until combined.
- Into a large bowl add the very soft butter, eggs, milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and mixed together well.
- Using a sturdy spatula or spoon, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two increments.
- Stir just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Into a small bowl, add the dried cherries and 1 teaspoon flour. Toss until all the cherries are coated.
- Gently fold the cherries into the batter.
- With a large scoop, divide the batter into the 12 muffin pan wells.
- Liberally sprinkle each muffin with white sanding sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes.
- Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Remove onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing or freezing.
- Muffins are done when a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
- 6 oz. of dried cherries equals about one cup.Â
- I stir these muffins by hand, but they can be made with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.Â
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back and click the stars above to leave a comment and rating. I appreciate your help. Thank you!
My Favorite Baking Tools
- Muffin pan
- Glass mixing bowls
- Glass measuring cup set
- Measuring spoons
- Cooling racks
- Sanding sugar
- Tulip baking liners
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I absolutely love how big and fluffy these muffins are. And the tulip muffin cups make all the difference. They peel right off. Going to be playing with this one :) Thank you so much, Ann!
Hi Theresa…thank you so much for the comment, and especially for the rating. Both are very helpful. Enjoy the muffins!
I just made these, and they were delicious! I used dried cranberries and added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. The muffins rose up nice and tall and made a great presentation.
I made these muffins for Valentines for our breakfast and they were wonderful!
Made your cherry muffins today. Sadly, I never heard the timer go off, so I over baked them. Ate a few with dinner, but will be turning the others into croutons for a salad. Thanks for the recipe, I’m sure they’ll be delicious next time! lol
Can’t wait to try these and once I do, I’ll be back to leave a review. Thanks so much for sharing. One question, if you were to gift these, do you have a favorite box you would present these in? I love the idea of keeping them in the tulip liners. I always appreciate that you link items used in your posts!
Thanks for thoroughly testing and anticipating your readers’ questions before sharing a yummy looking recipe.