There are still so many gorgeous strawberries at the farmer’s market, I find it nearly impossible to avoid buying them by the armload. On Friday I picked up a quart at Union Square, and then yesterday I simply had to bring home another two (yes, quarts) at the much smaller market near my home. As long as these deep red, small, juicy babies are displayed with such abundance, I’m afraid I’ll have to keep taking them home.
There’s only one thing to do when you’ve got a surplus of strawberries (I nearly typed “too many,” but you can never have too many strawberries, really): try new recipes! This is an adaptation of something I found online. I’ve tinkered with the original recipe quite a bit so I’m considering this sufficiently bowdlerized that I can call it my own.
Strawberry-Banana Muffins
Makes 12
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 c. sugar
¼ c. oil
¾ c. mashed fresh strawberries
1 medium banana, mashed
½ t. almond extract
1 ¾ c. flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
Preheat oven to 350. Coat two muffin tins with non-stick spray and set aside.
In large mixing bowl whisk egg and whites until frothy. Whisk in sugar, oil, strawberries, banana, and almond extract.
In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats. Whisk until distributed evenly, then add the dry mixture to the wet. Stir gently, just until combined—with low-fat baking you really don’t want to touch it too much or the finished product will be tough. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Turn muffins out onto a wire rack immediately and let cool. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
June 2012: I just made these again, as I do every year, but this time I tweaked a little to make them completely whole grain and even more nutritious. Instead of using 1 3/4 cup AP flour, I swapped in 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour + 1/2 cup ground almonds. They came out fabulous! But I did have some trouble getting them out of the muffin tins, so if you’re at all nervous about that part I’d suggest using liners.
