Strawberry Bread

Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries
 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans. Divide batter into pans. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Strawberries and Cream Muffins

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp firm butter

Muffins
3/4 cup milk
1/4 vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup strawberries, cut into small chunks

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 egg (about 2 tbsp beaten)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with baking cups or grease thoroughly. To prepare filling combine cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix till smooth. Set filling aside. Combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon for streusel topping, then cut in butter using 2 forks or pastry cutter and combine till coarse crumbs. Set streusel topping aside. Whisk together milk, oil, and egg for muffin mixture, then add in all flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt only till moistened. The mixture will be lumpy. 

Spoon in one tablespoon of muffin mixture into each cup, then top with half the chunked strawberries, and a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Spoon remaining muffin mixture into each cup, top with remaining strawberries, and sprinkle streusel topping. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and serve warm. 

Coconut Streusel Muffins with Strawberry Butter

1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled slightly
1/2 cup half and half or fat free half and half
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Streusel:
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Strawberry Butter:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottom only of 12 muffin pan cups or line with paper liners. Set aside. Mix 1/2 cup melted butter, half and half, eggs, and almond extract in large bowl; beat with whisk until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cup flour, 12 cup sugar, baking powder and salt; stir just until moistened. gently stir in 1/2 cup coconut and 1 cup finely chopped strawberries. Spoon evenly into muffin cups. Mix all streusel ingredients in small bowl; mix well. Sprinkle over muffin batter. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes; remove to wire cooling rack. Meanwhile, mix all strawberry butter ingredients in small bowl. Beat at medium speed until well mixed. Serve with warm muffins. You can make the strawberry butter 2 days ahead. Cover, refrigerate and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften.

Makes 12 muffins

Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 18-24 muffins

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.Prep your strawberries by taking the tops off and cutting them in half.  Some of our berries were pretty tiny so I just left those whole.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, except for the sugar.  In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.  Toss your strawberries with the sugar.

 Add strawberry/sugar mixture to the muffin mixture and fold in gently to combine.Spray two muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray (you could also use muffin liners, if you prefer).  Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and fill each muffin tin just about to the top.

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.

Allow muffins to cool and then remove from pan.  If you do not plan to eat your muffins that day, I suggest freezing them.  Strawberries tend to make baked goods kind of soggy if they sit too long.

Place them in a freezer bag and lay them flat in your freezer for the initial freeze.  You can pull the muffins out one at a time when you are ready to eat them, microwave for about 45 seconds and they literally taste like you just pulled them out of the oven.  This is also a great technique if you have guests coming for a visit and you want to bake prior to their arrival or for a quick breakfast before work or school.