Tag: strawberries

Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins

I am one of the lucky ones. My career is teaching high school math and physics. I recently had one of the most fun group of kids in an Algebra II class. They made me laugh on the regular while also still hanging on to their passion to learn. (Again, I am lucky). When this particular class learned that I was training for a marathon, they championed me, complete with a “We’re proud of you!” card when I finished. Then they learned that I had a food blog, and I suddenly gained a number of followers on my Instagram. Soon enough, I got an email request on my blog for “some strawberry muffins #lit #bestmuffinsever #yumalisous.” I told that young lady that strawberries weren’t in season, but as soon as they were, I would make a recipe for her. So without further adieu, I present Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins!

Your Ingredients

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil, room temperature (about 70 degrees) 
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon 
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and diced

Your Steps to Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins 

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut should be solid but soft).  Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined. Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in blueberries. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!

A little lemon!
Dry ingredients
A pop of color in the strawberries.
Almost set!
Perfection!

Strawberry and Lemon Zest Muffins

Spring time flavors abound with these strawberry and lemon zest muffins. Bake up a batch today!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil room temperature (about 70 degrees)
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 cup diced strawberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut oil should be solid but soft).
  • Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined.
  • Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined.
  • Fold in strawberries. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way full.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!
Keyword Breakfast, Breakfast Bread, lemon, muffins, Strawberries, strawberry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other breakfast Delights?

Click here to head to my breakfast page. Or let your eyes to choosing by checking out a few recipes below!

JessLeave a comment

Strawberry and Peach Sorbet

The Scenario…

Over picking at the strawberry patch because you don’t realize just how many berries fit in your bucket until you weigh it.

Looking at the fruits at the farmer’s market and buying it all because the color is beyond appealing.

Planting countless raspberry plants and then not being able to keep up with the bounty they produce in July.

The delicious solution!

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? Let me tell you, I have experienced them all. One would think that I would learn from my mistakes, but I still continue to get sucked into ALLLLL the fruits and then need to find something to do with them. This week, it was strawberries and peaches. And thus, a homemade strawberry and peach sorbet was born. 

Strawberries and peaches

Last year, I had a crazy red raspberry crop. Crazy, as in it took me over an hour to harvest during its peak time. This meant I needed to find new and fun ways to preserve them. I made all the jam. I froze bags of them. Then I stumbled across a fruit sorbet recipe while flipping through my Ball’s Guide to Preserving Book. It sounded amazing, but had SO much added sugar. I modified it some last year, and now have improved it again to not use raspberries but the strawberries from our garden and peaches from the store. 

If you’ve been following me for a little time, you know that I like to use my son as my ultimate taste tester. He isn’t afraid to tell me something is too healthy tasting, too salty, lacking vegetables, etc. He’s a good egg, that kid. Anywho…I took a scoop of what couldn’t fit in the jars and had him try it. He closed his eyes, smiled, and kind of whispered, “What IS that?!” I don’t know about you, but that screams approval if you ask me 😉

Don’t have strawberries and/or peaches? I have such good news! This recipe is totally moldable to your favorite flavor combination. Ultimately, you will need 4 cups of chopped soft fruit. Think berries, peaches, nectarines, etc. (Ball says you can use melon, but I haven’t tested it). 

Your Ingredients: 

  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • 2 cups diced peaches, peeled first then cut up
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
  • 2 tablespoons honey 

Your steps

Combine fruit. Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down. I use an immersion blender and blend right in the kettle I will be heating them in. Add remaining ingredients. From here, use the immersion blender to mix everything together once more. Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often. Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid. 

Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the sorbet. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet. There are lots of options for this. You can use a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender. For me, I dig the immersion blender because clean up is so easy. Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like to use 4 ounce jelly jars for ½ cup servings ready to go! Finally, be sure to label and return to the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them! 

  • Chopping makes me happy.
  • Colors. All the colors!
  • Blend the fruit.
  • And blend again with the other ingredients.
  • Pre freezing.
  • Post freezing.
  • Scoop. If it’s too frozen, wait a little longer.
  • Seriously, I adore my immersion blender.
  • Oh my goodness, the fluffiness!
  • Freezer bound!

A few notes

When I initially found this recipe, I wanted to cut the second blending of the sorbet. It is critical to complete if you want fluffy sorbet that you remember from childhood. It’s worth the extra step. Don’t skip it! 

Initially, I tried this recipe freshly picked raspberries so feel free to mix it up in terms of fruit. Ultimately, you need 4 cups of chopped/crushed fruit so let your taste buds to the work here. 

Looking for an adult version? I found that adding ½ cup of lime twisted gin was a delight to the raspberry sorbet! Be mindful of how much alcohol you add as it will effect the ability of the sorbet to freeze. 

Have a sweeter tooth? The recipe originally calls for 2 cups of sugar. If you’d like, add more to suit your own tastes.

Tools I use

Hoping to use some of the tools I love for creating these? Here’s the link for the 4 ounce jelly jars I used as well an immersion blender. Seriously, the immersion blender is an underrated tool in the kitchen and it hardly takes up any storage space! If you don’t have one yet, I highly recommend investing. You’ll thank me! 

As for the jelly jars, I am usually a Ball or Kerr jar lover, but a friend gifted me these Verone jars and I loved that they came with two piece lids for canning as well as one piece lids for storage. Double duty in one pack of jars. Super cool 🙂

Looking for other ways to preserve your summer bounty? Check out my canning and preserving page!

Strawberry and Peach Sorbet

A fruit sorbet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Freeze Time 4 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Canning
Servings 7 1/2 cup servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • 2 cups diced peaches peeled first then cut up
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey more to taste

Instructions
 

  • Combine fruit.
  • Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down into a puree.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Blend once more to fully break down the fruit and incorporate added ingredients.
  • Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often.
  • Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid.
  • Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to remove from pan. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet using food processor, blender or immersion blender.
  • Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. Label and return to freezer if not enjoying immediately.

Notes

Don’t have strawberries or peaches? No problem. Any soft fruit will do. Think, berries of any kind, nectarines, even melon perhaps? 
You may be tempted to skip the second blend step. Don’t! It’s critical for the sorbet to be fluffy, just the way you remember it. 
Keyword clean, peach, sorbet, strawberry, sweets
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Quick Strawberry Bread

I never knew I needed strawberry bread in my life until I tried this recipe. A number of years ago, I was minding my own business at my end of the hallway while at school when three students ran over to me and HAD to share what they had just created in their Family and Consumer Science class. It was this bread. Let me tell you, it was delicious. If three teenage boys could create such a delicious treat, I knew I needed to give it a try on my own. 

I immediately went to the teacher and asked if I could have the recipe. She shared a folded up copy students had left in her classroom, and it went straight into my files. Now it’s a sheet of paper I hold dear because not only is it full of stains from repeated use (aren’t those THE best recipes?!), but it also reminds me of those awesome students I got to teach so early on in my career. 

Wondering what makes this strawberry bread so good? I believe it’s the Greek yogurt (or sour cream, if that’s what you have on hand). It makes for this moist, delightful summer bread. In fact, when I want an indulgent quick bread, I look for Greek yogurt in the recipe. It’s a secret, take this recipe to the next level, kind of ingredient. 

Now, I know most recipes I share have had a “let’s make it healthier” make over. This strawberry bread will not be one of those recipes. Sometimes you just need to follow your taste buds and enjoy a little sugar and sweetness, right? 

Your ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup flour (I used whole wheat)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt 
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 
  • ½ cup butter, softened 
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (room temperature)
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1 ¼ cup finely chopped strawberries 

Your Steps

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. 

In a larger bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugars and beat until light and airy. Beat in eggs, ideally one at a time. But let’s be real, who remembers to do that? I mean, I don’t ⅔ of the time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until well combined. 

Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Avoid over mixing. Fold in strawberries. Be gentle with them or you will end up with a pink bread. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 60-65 minutes in the center of the oven. 

Cream the butter.
Add the sugar…
and then the eggs.
Secret ingredient: Greek yogurt and then some vanilla.
All the colors in my kitchen. Really, that’s the purpose of this picture. It makes me smile.
Fold in the strawberries gently.
Spread into a pan.
Look at the delightful top! That color!

A few notes:

  • I know I said mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. But for real, I hate extra dishes. I am the kind of cook that will intentionally use a smaller measuring cup to measure out 1 cup measurements if it means using one less dish. That being said, I have often made this recipe by adding the dry ingredients to the top of the wet, mixing slightly to blend the spices, and then stirring it all together. But you do you 🙂
  • I ADORE my flexible cutting boards for all sorts of cooking. They are actually the only kind of cutting boards I use (if I can help it). If you haven’t used them before, check out the link below. They are color coded for different types of food and make scraping into a bowl or pan easy as can be.
  • I used fresh strawberries from our garden, which are generally smaller than store bought. Because of this, I simply sliced them rather than chopping them small. Again, do what you prefer.

Looking for other sweet treats to bake? Check out my baking page here!

Quick Strawberry Bread

Greek yogurt and strawberries combine to make a perfect addition to your breakfast table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cup finely chopped strawberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a larger bowl, beat butter until creamy.
  • Gradually add sugars and beat until light and airy.
  • Beat in eggs, one at a time.
  • Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until well combined.
  • Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Avoid over mixing.
  • Gently fold in strawberries.
  • Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 60-65 minutes in the center of the oven.
Keyword Breakfast Bread, Quick Bread, Strawberries
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread

Jump to Recipe

As spring makes way to summer, gardeners all around Wisconsin watch for the rhubarb to break through the ground and produce stems of tart goodness. Then you can pair that with the strawberries that are turning red right now, and you have some tasty baking and cooking that happens. Rhubarb pie. Jams and jellies. However, my favorite is probably strawberry rhubarb bread.

Springtime on a cutting board: strawberries and rhubarb

Here, the sweetness from the berries and the tart from the rhubarb mix perfectly. And the color! It brings me so much joy. My mother-in-law has a fantastic recipe for strawberry rhubarb bread; however, I try to be mindful of the amount of sugar I serve my family and friends so I began to play with a few recipes to make my own, healthier version. 

A few weeks ago, I tried to tweak this great banana bread recipe to work as a strawberry rhubarb bread. Let me tell you, it was a fail. Maybe not an EPIC fail. But I will say, I don’t waste much food, and it went in the garbage after a few days.

Determined not to fail, I wrote in my planner, “FIX THE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB BREAD,” everyday. I found the time, sat down with the banana bread recipe and my mother in law’s recipe and boom…this recipe was born as a hybrid of them both. A cleaner, healthier Strawberry Rhubarb Bread.

As an aside, my husband is my go to recipe tester when I try to make it healthier. He isn’t quiet about when I “ruin” things by cutting too much sugar or replacing pasta with vegetables. He hated the first “banana bread” try. However, he gave glowing reviews to the one you’re about to bake. It’s tasty, just the right amount of sweetness, and perfectly moist. Yum. I can’t wait for you to try it and let me know what you think! Let’s get baking 🙂 

Your Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats (I get these fantastic thick oats from the natural food store in town)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (I did walnuts) 
  • 1 cup peeled and chopped rhubarb
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • ½ cup honey or maple syrup (I did honey) 
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted (but any oil will do) 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 6 tablespoons milk (I did almond)

Your Steps 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare one loaf pan (or three miniature pans) by spraying with cooking spray. Combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda, and nuts in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine honey, vanilla, egg, and milk.

Add the honey mixture to dry mixture along with rhubarb and strawberries. Stir until just combined. (Be sure to mix all the way to the bottom. I can’t tell you how often I pour my batter into a pan and find dry ingredients I missed while mixing to “just combined.” Alas, I will learn someday.)

Quickly pour in oil and stir. Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for 40-55 minutes, depending on the depth of your batter. Finally, use a toothpick or knife to check if it is cooked all the way to through. Enjoy! 

  • Dry ingredients (minus the nuts!)
  • Mix all the wet ingredients.
  • Get the color in there!
  • It will seem dry/thick. The moisture will cook into it.
  • Get in the pan and the oven!
  • And…yum. Although, Christmas colors?

A few notes

  • The batter will seem dry. That’s okay. It will moisten up at it bakes.
  • You should be able to switch up the ratios of strawberries and rhubarb. Just shoot for about 2 cups of cut up fruits/vegetables. (Did you know rhubarb is technically a vegetable?!
  • I add the oil last and stir fast so that it doesn’t have the time to begin to turn solid. This was a recent “ah ha” moment I had while making my own waffles with friends. Get that recipe here!

Looking for more baking recipes? Click here!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread

Sweet Strawberries and Tart Rhubarb join together in this cleaner version of a classic combination.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup chopped rhubarb peeled
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • ½ cup honey (or maple syrup)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 6 tablespoons milk your choice

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease bread pan.
  • Combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda, and chopped nuts in a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl, combine honey, vanilla, egg, and milk.
  • Stir wet ingredients, strawberries, and rhubarb into dry ingredients until just combined.
  • Stir in melted coconut oil.
  • Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-55 minutes, until cooked all the way through. Test using a toothpick or knife. If it comes out clean, it is done.

Notes

  • The batter will seem dry. That’s okay. It will moisten up at it bakes.
  • You should be able to switch up the ratios of strawberries and rhubarb. Just shoot for about 2 cups of cut up fruits/vegetables. (Did you know rhubarb is technically a vegetable?!)
  • I used almond milk in this recipe, but I am certain any milk will be fine. 
Keyword Bread, Breakfast, Rhubarb, Strawberries
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Jess2 Comments