These Muffins Were Made for a Picnic in the Park

May and June tend to be disappointingly gray and wet in the Pacific Northwest, but this year, the weather’s been unusually warm and sunny. To ensure I’m soaking up every single ray of sunshine possible, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the local park with my fiancé. I always like to pack a sweet treat to enjoy along with a thermos of tea, and these strawberry muffins have been a favorite. They’re simple to make, highly portable, and packed with the season’s finest berries.

This whole wheat muffin batter is one I’ve been perfecting for years. Whole wheat flour can sometimes make for baked goods that are dry, dense, or even bitter, so I like to cut it with a good amount of all-purpose flour. This blend allows for the best of both worlds: a light, fluffy texture and a subtle, complex, earthy flavor. A healthy dollop of tangy Greek yogurt helps add moisture and fat to prevent a dry crumb. Sitting atop the muffin is a sweet and slightly salty, crispy streusel. It’s made with just whole wheat flour, butter, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. The whole wheat flour makes for an extra crispy and sandy streusel, plus it adds a subtle savoriness that makes it difficult to eat just one muffin.    

While the strawberries are the undisputed star of the show, they can sometimes be tricky to bake with. Compared to other berries, strawberries have a high water content, which can make them taste bland and watery when baked inside a batter. This can also lead to sogginess in the final bake. Roasting the strawberries first helps some of that liquid evaporate, concentrating the berries’ natural sugars to create a sweeter, more intense strawberry flavor. You only want to roast them for 20 to 25 minutes. At this point, they should be soft, juicy, and super red but still holding their shape. To save on prep time, you can roast the strawberries up to three days ahead and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.

When the muffins are done baking, it’s best to let them cool to lukewarm before digging in or packing them into a container. This allows the starches, sugars, and fats inside the muffins to set and solidify and prevents a gummy bite—and it also makes them much sturdier and less likely to fall apart if you’re packing them for a picnic. But if the weather is gray and cold, that’s okay, too. These muffins taste just as good eaten indoors with a steaming cup of coffee. Those juicy, jewel-toned strawberries will bring all the sunshine you need.

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Zola Gregory is a writer and recipe developer based in Seattle. Having previously worked as a pastry chef and baker, she now enjoys helping others find success in their own kitchens through her stories, recipes, and baking classes.