Sour Cherry Muffins

Sour cherry muffins combine the twin summer joys of tart cherries and corn. They’re based on our favorite buttermilk cornbread muffins, which have just the right balance of light sweetness and gentle heft. The cherries are an absolutely natural fit.

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Why we love this recipe

If you need proof that “what grows together goes together,” these muffins are it. Sour cherries make the perfect complement to our favorite corn muffins. In some ways they’re an obvious addition, yet they transform this recipe into something all its own.

I first published this recipe here in 2018. I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Sour cherries, also called tart cherries, are delicate, thin-skinned, and bright red. As the name suggests, they’re very sour, and they have a floral briskness that really shines when lightly sweetened. They come in several varieties, including Moreno and Montmorency (pictured). You can use them interchangeably.
• Buttermilk‘s acidity helps create a tender crumb.
• A mix of cornmeal and flour gives these muffins character while keeping them light and tender.

How to make it

Here’s what you’ll do to make a great batch of sour cherry corn muffins. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. Pit the cherries and stir them together with half the sugar.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg and stir them into the dry ingredients. Stir in the melted butter.
4. Drain the liquid from the cherries and pat them dry between paper towels. Stir into the batter. Divide between muffin cups and bake in the center of a 425°F oven for 15 minutes.

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite sour cherry recipes

• Syrup
• Shirley Temples
• French 75
• Crisp
• Cake
• Frozen yogurt
• Homemade maraschinos
• Domenica Marchetti’s recipe for sour cherry pie (via NPR)

4.72 from 32 votes

Sour Cherry Muffins

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope

These muffins combine the twin summer joys of tart cherries and corn. They're based on our favorite buttermilk cornbread muffins, which have just the right balance of light sweetness and gentle heft. The cherries are an absolutely natural fit.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 muffins

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 2 cups (300 grams) pitted sour cherries
• ▢ ½ cup (100 grams) sugar, divided
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups (175 grams) stone-ground cornmeal
• ▢ ¾ cups (90 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups (315 ml) well-shaken buttermilk
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter, melted

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the center. Grease a standard 12-muffin tin or line with paper liners.
• In a small bowl, stir together the cherries and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Measure the buttermilk into a 2-cup liquid measure, then crack in the eggs and beat to combine.
• Pour the buttermilk mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently until there are no dry pockets.
• Pour in the melted butter and stir until combined.
• Drain any liquid from the cherries and dry them as well as possible between layers of paper towels.
• Stir cherries into batter.
• Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

1. You can make these muffins earlier in the day and store at room temperature until ready to serve.
2. Leftovers will keep, loosely wrapped in foil, for several days. Toast them and add butter if you like.

I first published this recipe here in 2018. I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal, Carbohydrates: 20.9g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3.4g, Fiber: 1.1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Muffins and Quickbreads

Cuisine: American

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