They say that the quickest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, so it’s only logical that the main fixture of a Valentine’s Day celebration seems to be something edible. While chocolate candies tend to take center stage for obvious reasons, there are endless other possibilities for equally romantic treats, especially for those who prefer something sweet that isn’t such an over-the-top indulgence. … Or maybe at least something delicious they can eat in addition to their truffles and bonbons.
Brainstorming ways to spoil my family and friends, I dug through cupboards full of forgotten baking hardware, searching for perhaps a cute cookie cutter or two. Pushing a rusted baking sheet out of the way, I uncovered a long lost treasure that must have been with our family for a solid two decades at the least: A plastic muffin pan, bearing 6 precious heart-shaped orifices.
Corny and ubiquitous, but after stumbling upon such a find, there was clearly no way around making adorable heart shaped food for this holiday yet again. Having gone the route of sugary chocolate cupcakes last year, I instead opted for something with berries that could be considered an excellent breakfast-in-bed sort of item. Muffins fit the bill perfectly. If that’s not really your cup of tea, all you need to do is whip up a simple frosting and you’ve got another cupcake recipe on your hands, albeit slightly healthier if anything.
No matter how many times I take a gamble and give the fresh strawberries on the market a try, they simply aren’t up to par for an application like this, so frozen are a good dependable option, always consistent no matter the season. Thawing created a good amount of juice which turned my batter a gorgeous shade of pink, but it sadly faded as the muffins browned during cooking. Not an issue in my eyes, but food coloring could also be added if tinted food really gets you going. The only real danger is bursting berries during cooking- You could end up with a bleeding heart!
Ouch!
But in all seriousness, these are perhaps the ideal Valentine’s offering. Moist with a fine, soft crumb, and oh so delicious. Of course regular muffins that don’t take the form of hearts work just as well if you lack the necessary equipment. Whatever vessel ends up becoming a home to your blushing batter, the muffins are guaranteed to elicit gratitude and delight regardless. Nothing is better than a special breakfast for your sweetie, and by making muffins the night before, you don’t even need to wake up early to prepare it. Lightly warmed through and topped with a dollop of strawberry preserves, it may be difficult to find a reason to leave bed again once you present these bad boys to your love.
Strawberry Love Muffins
Moist with a fine, soft crumb and packed with fresh berries, these muffins are a sure-fire way to win over anyone's heart.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Strawberries, Thawed and Sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease 12 muffin tins.
- Begin by mixing together your dry ingredients (Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda.) Gently stir in the non-dairy milk, oil, and vanilla but be careful not to over-mix. A few lumps are okay! Fold in your thawed strawberries and pour batter into muffin tins, ¾ of the way to the top.
- Slide your filled tins into the oven and cook for 15 – 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick; When they’re ready to come out, the toothpick will remain dry.
- Fresh out of the oven, they are still young and impressionable, so don’t try to remove them immediately or you will end up with smushed, dented muffins! Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes inside their cooking vessel. Enjoy with someone you love.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.
Congrats on Just Baking! Very happy for you. Love your love muffins… but don’t have any heart pans and can’t leave the house as my son is sick.
Those look great! Is it weird that I like the “bleeding heart” one? Thanks again for sharing!
i made these muffins for my mom and i as a valentines day treat…lets just say they were gone within the first hour….
i am new to your blogs and i find all of your work amazing and quite unique
keep up the good work!
I tired these with just a couple of modifications. I had raspberries on hand, so I subbed those for the strawberries, and because it just felt right, I used about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract in addition to the vanilla. They turned out so well!! Very easy recipe. Thanks so much for posting it!
THESE LOOK SO GOOD CANT WAIT 2 TRY THEM OUT !!!
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wow, you posted this ages ago but I got here through VeganPrOn’s blog and those are aDORable, and there’s a flimsy little heart-shaped muffin pan for sale at my local dollar store that I want to buy and try with this recipe. It’s almost valentine’s again!
[…] Love muffins they sure are! […]
I love the look of your muffins sooo yummy…and I agree with ugliducklin that I like the bleeding heart muffin too….hmmmmm you could give that one to someone for that “special” message. I am going to try them too…but not the bleeding heart one for anytime soon…I hope! yikes..
Hi,
I just made these and I don’t plan on eating them all right away so I was wondering what the best way to store them would be. Should I freeze them? Refrigerate? If you could give me some advice that’d be fantastic!
-Leah
How cute! They sound quite tasty too!! :-) I love fun pans like yours, although I did pass up a pumpkin shaped pumpkin pie pan in the bargain bin at the grocery store this evening. Heart shaped muffins are cute and awesome. Slices of oddly shaped pumpkin pie just seemed, well… odd!
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These muffins are AMAZING! though the first time i made them they weren’t sweet enough so this time i added about 1/4 cup more sugar and they were PERFECT.Thankyou :D
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hi i wanted to know the ap flour can i use whole wheat flour
I wouldn’t recommend substituting plain whole wheat flour here, since the muffins would come out very heavy and dense. You could, however, try whole wheat pastry flour, or white whole wheat flour instead.