Happy Easter! I hope this holiday weekend finds you happily tucked away with family and friends. Jason and I were chatting before work yesterday and we realized this is one of our last big holidays without a baby. While we plan to take advantage of it by sleeping in and eating an enormous breakfast before church, we also got really excited. Next year, we will be able to read our sweet baby the story of the Resurrection, fill a little Easter basket with treats, and head over to grandma’s for an egg hunt.
Traditions can be so lovely. Back in Texas, my Great Aunt Wanda has hosted an egg hunt at her home for over fifty years. My childhood is filled with memories of trotting through blue bonnets to find as many eggs as possible before my cousins found them. She also has scrapbooks dating back to the 1950s of our family celebrating Easter together. Our family is so large now and we’ve lived on the east coast for so long, that there are many faces I don’t recognize and many that I do. The grandmother I never met decked out in a fifties Easter dress. My grandpa laughing with his brothers. My mom, hair cropped short in true tomboy style, sporting ragged oxfords and a frilly dress. My siblings and I trying to sit still long enough for a picture to be taken. I hope that we can recreate something like this in Virginia and that in fifty years, my grandkids will flip through scrapbooks of our family.
One thing is sure though, these muffins will be an Easter tradition. Made with olive oil, these treats are light, fluffy and really don’t taste like olive oil at all. Rather, the tart lemon compliments sweet strawberries wonderfully. They will be perfect spring treat for brunch tomorrow. I think I’ll serve them alongside some hash, scrambled eggs, and a pot of french-pressed coffee.
Strawberry-Lemon Muffins
Click here for a printable recipe!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of one large lemon
1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free flour
1/2 teaspoon xantham powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped (about 3 large berries)
3-4 strawberries, sliced for topping
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 10 muffins
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer on high.
2. Pour olive oil and lemon juice into egg mixture and gently fold.
3. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and lemon zest. Gently fold into egg mixture.
4. Fold strawberries into batter. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner. Place a strawberry on top of each muffin. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let muffins cool for about ten minutes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve!
