Sweet, juicy strawberries meet fragrant basil in these delightfully unique muffins—perfect for a fresh twist on a classic treat. Strawberry and basil muffins are easy to make and bursting with flavour, they’re a must-try for your next baking day.
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Please don't worry. I haven't gone totally stark raving mad I promise. It all started when I thought I'd challenge myself to try something a little different for this month's Secret Recipe Club post.
I was going to make a dinner-type meal but then time got away from me.
It was then I spotted lemon and basil muffins on Edesia's Notebook. Lesa seems quite similar to me in that she loves trying new recipes.
She also says that she only shares things she loves so I trusted her despite never having heard of such a combination.
Come baking day I had a bit of a problem in the form of lack of lemons.
There was no way I was going to buy a lemon when my tree was covered in them, but the only ripe one was way up high and I'd have to wait for him to fall on his own (yes I did shake the tree to try and coax him).
What I did have was a punnet of juicy red strawberries from the Carseldine Markets.
So that is how I decided to make strawberry and basil muffins. I totally got my Masterchef creative hat on.
Just before I spooned the batter into the cases I remembered my uncle saying that his favourite way to eat strawberries is with a sprinkle of white pepper so into the batter a pinch went. I closed the oven and crossed my fingers.
So intrigued to taste them I was, I grabbed one straight out of the oven, pinched off a bit and shoved it in my mouth (don't worry I blew on it first so I didn't take off a layer of tongue).
It was surprisingly delicious. It's a sweet muffin but had a bit of a savoury tone from the basil while still being something you'd serve for morning or afternoon tea rather than lunch (too much sugar for lunch).
If you're game, give them a go, you might be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!
Recipe
Strawberry and basil muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup plain yoghurt
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- 100 g strawberries diced
- 1 cup wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- A pinch of ground white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175C fan-forced and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until thick and light.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined then mix in the yoghurt.
- Take the bowl off the mixer and fold through the basil and strawberry then the flour, pepper and baking powder.
- Divide the batter between the cases and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Hotly Spiced says
I have to say I've never added basil to muffins. I use white pepper a lot but only in Thai cooking. Could you taste a hint of it in the muffins? I haven't heard about adding a pinch to strawberries. I'm sure the strawberries made these muffins beautiful and sweet xx
Claire says
Nope you can't taste it but apparently it brings out the sweetness in the strawberries.
sarah k @ the pajama chef says
what a lovely muffin! so creative!!
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
Love the combo of flavors-- I would never think to pair strawberry with basil, but I'm sure it's great!
JJ - 84thand3rd says
Strawberries, basil and pepper are so good together - these sound fab! Nice job with the last minute creativity!
Sweet as Sugar Cookies says
Ooohh, what a lovely combo of flavors.
chitchatchomp says
What a wonderful interpretation Claire! These look beautiful.
Norma says
Thanks! I thought it might be, but wasn't sure, and I am from the USA.
Claire says
You're welcome Norma!
Norma says
These sound intriguing, but I have one question....what is "wholemeal" flour? I've never heard of this type of flour and am wondering where I would need to purchase it from. Or are we talking about "wheat" flour? Just want to make sure I have the right kind of flour when I try this recipe. Thanks!
Claire says
Hi Norma. If you are in the USA wholemeal flour is whole-wheat flour. Just not as finely milled as white flour. You can use white AP (plain) flour as well if you like.
Katrina says
These look great and I love basil with berries, too!
Claire says
I hadn't thought of that Katrina but you're quite right. Basil and berries are seen together all the time!
Lesa @ Edesia's Notebook says
Great idea to use strawberries, Claire! Strawberry and basil are so great together. Glad this was a success! (By the way, my name is Lesa.)
Claire says
Ahh I knew that! Sorry!!! Thanks for the recipe. :-)
Lesa @ Edesia's Notebook says
NP. Thanks!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Don't worry I don't think you're crazy! Basil is a great ingredient in baking especially paired with fruit! These look darling!
Claire says
Oh good! I'm glad I'm not the only one.