Strawberry-Sage Muffins

After thoughtfully alternating bites of the two muffins, I came to a conclusion: they were both really, really good. However, I thought the New Best Recipe muffin had a slight edge over the other – it had a moister, more delicate crumb, held the delicate flavors of sage and strawberry better, and had more of a melt-in-your mouth texture. Out of curiosity, I quickly calculated the calories per each type of muffin based on my yields (17 for the New Best Recipe, 15 for A Recipe a Day), and found that, despite varying amounts of butter, sugar, and the type of dairy in each recipe, they had exactly the same caloric value. One further point of interest – the muffins that baked at 400 degrees for a few minutes less, which included a few of both types, puffed up significantly higher and had a more golden brown crust, making them more attractive overall. However, I preferred the “crustless-ness” of the slow-baked muffins. My final verdict – both recipes make a really delicious muffin, but personally, I’m sticking with the folks over at America’s Test Kitchen. I think they know what they’re doing.

Strawberry-Sage Muffins

Makes about 18 muffins.

• 2 c. AP flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 c. sugar
• 4 TBS butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 1/2 c. diced fresh strawberries
• 6-8 large leaves of fresh sage, finely minced

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, briefly whisk egg until pale yellow.  Whisk in sugar until slightly cream.  Whisk in melted butter in 2 additions.  Whisk in sour cream in 3 additions, until batter is just uniform in color and texture.  Try not to overmix.
2. Add diced strawberries and sage to the flour mixture, and toss gently to incorporate.  Now add flour/strawberries to wet ingredients, and gently fold together until just combined.  Some remaining clumps of flour are OK, and the batter will be quite thick.  Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling almost to the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are a light golden color and a toothpick comes out clean.