Whole Wheat Strawberry Streusel Muffins

Since strawberry season began, My Little Man has been determined to make strawberry muffins.  Each time that I we pick any quantity of berries and I ask what he'd like to make with them, this is his reply.  Since I haven't made strawberry muffins in years, this surprised me; but, why not?

So with our last strawberries of the season we baked Whole Wheat Strawberry Streusel Muffins.  These are very similar to our Better-than-the-Bakery Blueberry Muffins (except with different berries, of course), and they were fun to make.  

Since he chose a new white shirt, I pulled out an apron that my great-grandmother made years ago and made him wear it to prevent strawberry stains.  Then, after washing and coring the strawberries, I gave him a children's butter knife to chop them up.  He thought this was fantastic!  (Of course, when he got down and turned around, I found that he had just wiped his hands on the back instead of the front.  Oh, well - you win some, you lose some!  Fortunately, it didn't stain.)

These muffins are deceptively sweet - they're not the soft, crumbly kind made with white flour and tons of butter, but they are sweet and summery and really delicious.  The subtle flavor of the wheat flour adds a bit of heartiness that I really liked - and unlike those muffins that stick to my hips, these keep me feeling full 'til lunch!

One batch of this recipe makes about 24 muffins, so we had enough to eat then and some to freeze for later.  The kids loved the sweetness of the streusel topping and the hidden jelly inside - and I loved that they were eating an easy, healthy breakfast!

Ingredients:

• 2 c. strawberries, washed, capped, and chopped
• 3/4 c. honey
• 2 1/2 c. white-wheat flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 5 T. butter, melted
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 t. vanilla
• 4 T. strawberry jelly (we used our homemade jelly)
• a few tablespoons of streusel topping*

* I don't have an exact recipe for streusel topping.  I tend to make up a batch, use what I need, and then store the rest in the freezer until I need it again.  I think a little bit goes a long way.  Basically, I mix flour, brown sugar, and soft-but-not-runny butter together in almost equal amounts until crumbly.  For some extra flavor, add cinnamon or other spices.  

To make Whole Wheat Strawberry Streusel Muffins, just:

1. Melt the butter and allow to cool slightly.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Stir together eggs and honey.  Slowly add butter and mix together.
4. To the wet ingredients add buttermilk and vanilla.
5. Fold wet ingredients and strawberries into dry ingredients.
6. Place a heaping spoonful of batter into prepared muffin tins (I used paper liners).  Batter should completely fill cups.
7. Place a teaspoonful of strawberry jelly into the center of each muffin cup.  Swirl slightly.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Sprinkle streusel over the top of each muffin.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm.
11. Remove from tin and allow to cool.

Yum!

What kind of muffin is YOUR favorite?