Strawberry Shortcake Muffins
These strawberry shortcake muffins deliver a tender, biscuit-like crumb with pockets of fresh strawberry and a crunchy turbinado sugar lid. Made with grated cold butter for flaky layers, they come together in 35 minutes and taste like summer in every bite.
Equipment
- 12-cup standard muffin tin
- Paper liners
- Box grater
- Large cookie scoop
- Large bowl
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (for tossing berries)
- 3 tbsp turbinado or demerara sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Toss diced strawberries with 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until fully combined.
- Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cold butter directly into the flour mixture. Toss with your fingers to coat the butter shreds in flour, squishing any large clumps into pea-sized pieces. The mixture should look like rough sand with some larger flaky bits.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the cold buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until about 50% combined, then add the floured strawberries. Fold just until no streaks of flour remain; a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups using a large cookie scoop; they should be nearly full. Sprinkle the tops generously with turbinado sugar, forming a visible crust over the entire surface.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
Keep butter cold for flaky layers. Do not use frozen strawberries—they will bleed and make the batter soggy. The turbinado sugar lid is essential for the signature crunch; do not substitute white sugar. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 GF flour blend and add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk. Store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes to revive the crunchy top.