Strawberry Muffins for Your Valentine

This morning I decided we needed a special (read: pink) Valentine's Day breakfast.  You know what's delicious and pink?  Strawberries.

 

Remember way back in June, I froze some strawberries from the farmer's market?  We've been eating them on pancakes all winter.  I've still got a couple pints left, so I altered a recipe for blueberry muffins and came up with these sweet treats.  If you're thinking it might be a good idea to freeze your own strawberries this summer check out how easy it is: How to Preserve June Strawberries. 

You could use store bought frozen strawberries, just be careful to get ones that don't have sugar added or if there is sugar added reduce the sugar in the recipe. 

Strawberry Muffins

1 3/4 cups unbleached flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 cup cooking oil

3/4 cups strawberry fruit drained

3/4 cup strawberry juice from strawberries (add water to reach 3/4 cup if you don't have enough)

1/4 cup chopped pecan (for topping)

1.  Grease 12 muffin cups and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2.  Mix the wet ingredients (except the fruit) together in a medium bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and then form a well in the middle.

3.  Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients.  Using a fork or a whisk stir together just until all the ingredients are wet.  Stir in the strawberries.  This will be a pretty thick batter.

4.  Spoon the batter into the greased muffin tins.  Top with the pecans and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops start turning golden brown.

5.  Remove the muffins and let cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  For a Valentine's touch add a heart shaped pat of butter. (Butter not factored in nutrition information)

Yields: 12 muffins

Nutrition: 150 cal, protein 3 g, fiber 1g, carb 20