Strawberry Blueberry Muffins – healthy!

Homemade Muffins

Double berry muffins, made from scratch, with whole wheat flour and yogurt, are so much better than bakery muffins. Better taste, better for you, better price.

I checked the nutrition information for muffins at a favorite restaurant/bakery of mine. Each blueberry muffin has 460 calories, 18 grams of fat, and a whopping 40 grams of sugar! Not to mention that each muffin will run you almost three dollars.

Wow! That kind of blows me away! Make your own muffins, folks! It’s not difficult and you’ll save tons of money, and be healthier, too. (Did I just sound kind of bossy? Sorry about that!)

Strawberry Blueberry Muffins

Better than bakery muffins. These delicious strawberry blueberry muffins have half the calories of those bakery muffins, only 11 grams of fat, and 13 grams of sugar. Plus, there’s the added benefit of whole wheat flour.

LOTS of fresh berries. You won’t have to wonder where the berries are in these muffins! There are two cups of berries in every batch. And if you’re like me, you’ll sneak in a few extra berries.

Easy to make. The only equipment you’ll need is muffin tins, two bowls, a spoon, and an oven. 

Ingredient Notes

• Strawberries: I usually use fresh strawberries so I can chop them into smaller pieces (chopping frozen berries is possible but it can be a little tricky). You’ll need a cup of chopped strawberries.
• Blueberries: You’ll need about one cup of blueberries. Either fresh or frozen berries will work fine in muffins. If you’re using frozen berries, there’s no need to thaw them first; in fact, it’s better if you don’t. Thawed berries tend to become juicy and will discolor the muffin batter.
• Flour: Use a 50/50 mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Whole wheat flour adds nutrition and fiber to the muffins but if you use only whole wheat flour, the muffins can be a bit heavy. A mixture of flours keeps the muffins light and fluffy.
• Greek Yogurt: Yogurt reduces the need for a lot of oil and also adds protein to the muffins.
• Oil: Any neutral flavored oil is fine: canola, vegetable, corn, etc. Using oil instead of butter helps keep muffins moist and fluffy.
• Eggs: A couple of eggs add rich flavor and keep the muffins moist.
• Strawberry Jam: I like to add just a couple tablespoons of jam to the muffin batter to enhance the strawberry flavor. However, if you don’t happen to have any strawberry jam, the muffins will turn out without it.
• Sugar: You won’t find a lot of sugar in these muffins, just a half cup (and the sugar that’s in the jam).
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Added for its sweet warm flavor, vanilla is a baker’s true friend.
• Baking Powder: Commonly used for leavening, baking powder will make the muffins rise. By the way, baking powder is not the same thing as baking soda.
• Salt: Without salt, your muffins will taste flat and a little flavorless.

How To Make Strawberry Blueberry Muffins

Begin by preheating your oven and getting the tins ready. I like to spray them with nonstick cooking spray but you can use cupcake liners if you prefer. 

Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl or large measuring cup: yogurt, oil, strawberry jam, vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently mix them in.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix just until blended. You don’t want to overmix the muffin batter, just stir until the dry and wet ingredients are combined.

Evenly divide the batter into the muffin tins and bake your double berry muffins. They’ll take about 18 minutes.

Helpful Tips

Sinking blueberries? A common problem with blueberry muffins is that the berries tend to sink to the bottom of the muffins during the baking time. While that isn’t a huge deal and doesn’t affect the flavor of the muffins, it can be irritating. There are two techniques to prevent this from happening.

1. Toss the berries in the flour mixture before combining with the wet ingredients. This is what I normally do (if I remember).
2. Another technique I’ve come across lately works well, too. Mix the batter without adding the berries. Put a spoonful of plain batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Fold the berries into the remaining batter and divide it between the muffin cups.

How to tell when muffins are done. You can check the muffins with a toothpick to see if they’re done. Just stick a toothpick near the center of one of the muffins. Take it out and look at it. Did the toothpick come out clean? Is there a couple of crumbs stuck to it? Then the muffins are done! If there’s still sticky batter clinging to the toothpick, put the muffins back in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Easy Recipe Variations

• Use different berries. Use 2 cups of any combination of berries including raspberries, blackberries, or whatever berries are available to you.
• Add chocolate. Want to add a little chocolate? O course you do! Use only one type of berry and substitute 1 cup of chocolate chips. (Or try these strawberry chocolate chip muffins — so good!)
• Change the flour ratio. Prefer 100% whole wheat? That will work fine, the muffins will be a little denser and heavier but will taste great! If you don’t like any whole wheat, just use 2 cups of all-purpose unbleached flour. A gluten-free flour will work, too.
• Try a substitute for the Greek yogurt. Use regular plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. Or use sour cream, milk, or buttermilk. Low fat or regular, doesn’t matter.
• Have extra berries? Make an easy dessert. Apple blueberry crisp is one of our favorite desserts, especially when it’s topped with homemade no churn vanilla bean ice cream. There’s also peach blueberry crisp and blueberry crisp with coconut — so yummy!

Storage Tips

While there’s nothing like a warm muffin fresh out of the oven, strawberry blueberry muffins will keep on the counter for a couple of days. If you want to store them longer, put them in the fridge or freeze them for up to a few months in a freezer safe container. I like to make a double batch and freeze some to eat later.

Tip: Be sure to cool the muffins completely before storing them in an airtight container. If they are still warm, condensation will form and the muffins will become sticky.