These cherry vanilla muffins are soft and delicate from buttermilk. They can be made with either sweet or sour cherries and are perfect for brunch!
I went cherry picking for the first time this past weekend! It was so much fun and I can’t believe I waited this long to pick my own.
Cherries taste amazing straight from the trees. The heat of the sun makes the juices burst in a way that reminds me of freshly roasted berries.
I’ve always loved to go apple picking in the fall but I think cherry picking is one of my new favorite spring traditions.
My friends and I picked 50 pounds of sour cherries to make a Romanian liqueur called vișinată. It won’t be ready for a few months and I’m anxiously awaiting the results.
In the meantime, I’ve created a buttermilk muffin recipe highlighting sweet bing cherries to celebrate the season. I didn’t pick these but they arrived in my CSA basket.
I used a gorgeous cast iron pan to bake the muffins and you can win the exact same pan in this week’s MightyNest giveaway! Use the widget below to enter. Edit: the giveaway has ended!
Homemade Buttermilk Substitute
Did you know you can make homemade buttermilk from scratch to use in this recipe? Save yourself a trip to the store by checking out my post How To Make Buttermilk Substitute!
Cherry Vanilla Muffins
Ingredients
- 8 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (approximately 1 3/4 cup)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 tablespoon kirsch cherry liqueur
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled (plus more for greasing the muffin pan)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped cherries (either sweet or sour)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease muffin tins with softened butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract (note: this is where you'd add the kirsch if using).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry followed by the butter and cherries, using a spatula to stir the ingredients together until just combined. The less you mix, the more delicate the muffins will be.
- Evenly scoop the muffin batter into the prepared pans, filling 3/4 - 4/5 of the way up.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then remove carefully from the pan (I find gently twisting works best).
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Cherries and vanilla go so well together! I think I first tried the combo in lip gloss in middle school, but it’s got to be SO much better in muffins.
I’ve always wanted to go cherry picking and still haven’t. I’m off to look into that!
These muffins look so delicious! Will definitely have to try the recipe out soon with gluten-free flour!
Love cherry picking. Love sour cherries. Love buttermilk!!!
I invite you to share this yumminess at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. You can link up through Saturday at midnight. Hugs!
Cherry picking sounds FUN! These muffins look really moist and sweet. I am sure there is a nicely browned crust on the side from baking in the cast iron pan.
Beautiful pictures! I love picking my own fruit whenever I can, although it often gets too expensive as I get carried away! Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe. Mariana x
I have 18 pounds of cherries in my fridge…I think I need to make these :)
Sounds like a great muffin flavor! I’d love to munch on one of these for breakfast :)
Oh cherry picking is really fun. I only do it once every couple years. I should remember to do it more often! Love this muffins. And anxiously awaiting to hear about the booze…:-)!
I saw these on you IG and they looked great! I can’t wait to try them now that the recipe is up.
2 of my favs, cherry and vanilla, these look absolutely perfect. You’re photos are beautiful!
Cherry picking sounds like a lot fun! Love cherries in any baked good, especially muffins.
I didn’t get to remark on these earlier – but I am now, and I’m really disappointed I have a whole pile of cherries and a clean kitchen. But I think these will be getting made quite soon.
Yum! Can we talk about that first photo?? It’s flawless…it makes me want to eat every-single-one!
Can I replace the buttermilk with lactose free milk?
Technically yes… you’ll still wind up with muffins but they’ll probably be a bit more dense and less moist due to the decreased fat content.