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    Eat Love Eat » Baking

    Cherry Sourdough Muffins

    Published: Apr 27, 2020, Last Modified: April 20, 2022, By Sasha Hooper · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These cherry sourdough muffins are made extra special with white chocolate chunks, they're also a great way to use up your sourdough starter discard. Whip up the sourdough muffin batter in 15 minutes and sit back and enjoy the smell as they bake.

    An array of cherry sourdough muffins on a wire rack stacked up with a jar of jam nearby.

    If you are like many others who enjoy playing with sourdough, this cherry sourdough muffin recipe is a great way to use your starter discard and try something different. There's nothing better than a light and fluffy muffin packed full of flavour and that's what the sourdough starter discard provides. It's not overpowering, just that special unmistakeable sourdough flavour.

    In these sourdough muffins, we've combined the best of the best in flavours: almond, cherry and white chocolate. Whether you switch out your favourite blueberry muffin at breakfast for these cherry sourdough muffins or change them up with the customisations suggested below, you'll love this recipe!

    We love hearing from you, so let us know how much you love these muffins in the comments and rate the recipe too! Don't forget to follow the links below to get to the information you need.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love these muffins
    • What is sourdough starter discard?
    • Ingredients
    • Customisations
    • How to make sourdough muffins
    • Expert tips
    • How to store them
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Related recipes
    • Cherry Sourdough Muffins

    Why you'll love these muffins

    Here are some of the main reasons you need these cherry sourdough muffins in your life:

    Easy - this recipe is super easy to follow and really quick to throw together. Mix the wet and dry together, divide it up into muffin cases and bake. Simple!

    No waste - by using the sourdough starter discard in this recipe you won't be wasting any of the by product of maintaining a sourdough starter. Win-win.

    True, tried & tested - we always endeavour to create recipes that are thoroughly tested and these sourdough muffins are certainly well tested! Make sure to check out our expert tips to success!

    What is sourdough starter discard?

    Once you have an established sourdough starter, it needs to be fed regularly in order to keep it happy and healthy and ready for baking. If you keep your starter at room temperature, this feeding will most likely need to be done twice a day, possibly even more if it's especially warm in your house.

    Unless you want to end up with a giant jar of sourdough starter, you will need to discard most of it each time you give it a feed. Whilst you can of course throw away this discarded portion, we would definitely recommend keeping it in a separate jar or container in the fridge and using it in a variety of recipes instead, like these cherry sourdough muffins!

    Ingredients

    You only need simple ingredients for these cherry sourdough muffins, this is what you'll need:

    Labelled bowls of ingredients for cherry sourdough muffins.

    Almond flour - cherries and almonds are the best combination, we use a blend of all purpose flour and almond flour to create a wonderful light nutty texture to these sourdough muffins.

    Sourdough starter discard - we recommend using a fresh sourdough discard which will not be too acidic, you'll still get the distinct sourdough flavour but the longer the discard sits around it becomes more acidic, which can result in a much more sour flavour profile.

    Melted butter/oil - we like to use a blend of oil and butter in these sourdough muffins for the optimum texture and flavour, but you can use either/or.

    Cherry jam - we're going to swirl the jam gently throughout the batter - use a good quality jam as it's so worth it! Our favourite is Bonne Maman.

    Customisations

    Here are some options to switch up and customise these cherry sourdough muffins.

    Change the jam - this sourdough muffin recipe is perfect for adapting, so switch out the cherry conserve with your favourite. Blueberry works well or even strawberry. Mix and match to your taste.

    No starter discard - If you don't have sourdough starter, you could instead use 250g all-purpose flour and 225ml milk - though we haven't tested the recipe this way. If you do try this, let use know how it goes in the comments!

    Chocolate - not a fan of white chocolate? Throw in some dark chocolate chips instead or just omit the chocolate if you don't fancy it.

    How to make sourdough muffins

    Follow this easy to follow step by step guide to give you these delicious cherry sourdough muffins:

    A collage of process steps to creating the sourdough muffin batter.
    1. In a medium mixing bowl mix together the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and fine sea salt until combined.
    2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sourdough starter discard, eggs, milk, sunflower oil, melted butter and vanilla extract until well combined.
    3. Pour the dry ingredients mixture on top of of the wet ingredients in the large mixing bowl.
    4. Gently fold together the two until just combined, the mixture can have a little of the dry showing as it will be finished mixing in later.
    A collage of process steps finishing off the batter with cherry jam and white chocolate.
    1. Gently fold the white chocolate chunks into the sourdough muffin batter.
    2. Dollop the cherry jam on the top of the sourdough muffin batter in individual piles.
    3. Gently swirl the jam in to the muffin batter leaving a beautiful marble. Don't over mix as you'll lose the swirl and end up with a pink batter.
    4. Split the cherry sourdough batter between twelve muffin cases and top with a little more jam to swirl and flaked almonds. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for 25 minutes.

    Expert tips

    To guarantee your success with these cherry sourdough muffins, follow our expert tips!

    Don't overmix - as we're using a blend of all purpose flour and almond flour, over working the muffin batter will build the gluten and make your muffins tough and chewy. Gently fold the mix only. A few lumps of dry mix are absolutely fine.

    Swirl - run the spoon through the jam into the batter once or twice, that's it. Otherwise you will end up with a bowl of pink batter. We want lovely swirls of cherry jam.

    Sourdough discard - use fresh discard from when you've just fed your main starter. If you store it in the fridge for a few days, that's OK. You just don't want it stored until its really loose, it becomes too acidic and the muffins unpalatable.

    Bake immediately - once you've combined all the batter together and divided between muffin cases, bake immediately. If not, you'll find the sourdough muffin discard will grow and your muffins will overflow in the oven. This recipe works VERY well if you bake immediately.

    How to store them

    These are best eaten freshly made but if you find that you have some cherry sourdough muffins left over you can store them one of two ways:

    Room temperature

    Wrap them up tightly in clingfilm or store in an air tight container on one single layer, they will store for 2-3 days like this. The tops may get a little tacky the longer they are stored though. These cherry sourdough muffins are best eaten fresh. You can refresh them in an oven preheated to 180C/350F for a few minutes if they become stale.

    Freezer

    These sourdough muffins store very well in the freezer. We recommend freezing them on a baking sheet or wrapping them individually, then placing in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost fully at room temperature before consuming.

    Recipe FAQs

    How long can you keep sourdough discard?

    In the fridge you can keep sourdough discard for up to one week. The longer the discard sits without being fed with additional flour, the level of lactic acid being produced will increase and therefore affect the flavour of what it is added to. For these muffins it is best to use the discard within 2-3 days of storing it.

    Can I use sourdough discard straight from the fridge?

    Yes, absolutely you can. We recommend using the sourdough starter discard within one week of storage in the fridge. You can store it up as you maintain your starter until you are ready to use it in these sourdough muffins. However the longer you store it, the more acidic it becomes, affecting the end flavour profile.

    Cherry sourdough muffin on a wire rack with a bite taken out of it showing the inside.

    Related recipes

    If you love baking these sourdough muffins you'll definitely want to check out more of our baking recipes or these muffins may take your fancy:

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      Blueberry Sourdough Muffins
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    Love this recipe? Leave us a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe below and don't forget to leave a review in the comments section underneath the recipe. We love hearing from you!

    Why not follow along with us on our social media channels @Instagram @Facebook and @Pinterest and tag us with #eatloveeats when you've tried one of our recipes!

    Cherry sourdough muffins stacked on a wire cooling rack with a pink napkin in the foreground.

    Cherry Sourdough Muffins

    These sourdough muffins are packed with cherry jam and white chocolate chunks and they have the lightest fluffiest texture making the perfect baked treat.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe ⭐️ Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 12 muffins
    Author: Sasha Hooper

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowls
    • Muffin tin

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 150g
    • 1 cup almond flour or ground almonds (not packed), 100g
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½ cup granulated sugar, 100g
    • 7 ounces sourdough discard, 200g, ⅞ cup
    • 2 medium eggs, US large
    • ½ cup milk, 125ml
    • ¼ cup sunflower oil, 60ml
    • ¼ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled, 60g
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 5 ounces white chocolate, chopped, 150g
    • 6 tablespoons cherry jam, plus extra for swirling in the tops of the muffins
    • ¼ cup flaked almonds, for sprinkling on top of the muffins, 20g

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
    • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, almond flour, baking powder, sea salt and granulated sugar. Set aside.
      1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup almond flour or ground almonds (not packed), 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ cup granulated sugar
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, eggs and milk until smooth. Next, whisk in the sunflower oil, melted butter and vanilla until well combined.
      7 ounces sourdough discard, 2 medium eggs, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup sunflower oil, ¼ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold in using a wooden spoon until just combined. If you have some streaks of flour left behind that's good.
    • Gently fold in the white chocolate and then dollop the cherry jam all over the batter. Fold again carefully until the jam is swirled through the batter but not mixed in so that the batter turns pink.
      5 ounces white chocolate, chopped, 6 tablespoons cherry jam
    • Divide the mixture between the muffin liners in your prepared tin. They should be almost but not quite full. Add a little extra jam on top of each muffin - about ¼ to ½ teaspoon. Carefully swirl the jam into the tops of the muffins using a toothpick or cocktail stick. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
      6 tablespoons cherry jam, ¼ cup flaked almonds, for sprinkling on top of the muffins
    • Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown and an inserted cake tester comes out almost clean. Leave to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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    Notes

    • Make sure you're quick when you make these muffins and don't leave the batter hanging around too long before baking. You don't want the sourdough starter to become too active otherwise your muffins might overflow!
    • Take care to use medium (US large) eggs as large eggs are a little too big. If you must use large eggs it's not the end of the world, the muffins might just overflow a little or you can just make more muffins.
    • You can use all sunflower oil (or any neutral oil) or all melted butter if you prefer. 
    • If you don't have sourdough starter, you could instead use 250g plain flour and 225ml milk - though we haven't tested the recipe this way. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.4g | Protein: 8.9g | Fat: 25.2g | Saturated Fat: 10.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.3g | Cholesterol: 48.9mg | Sodium: 159.4mg | Potassium: 377.8mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 36.3g | Vitamin A: 48.1IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 201.5mg | Iron: 0.9mg
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below with how you got on and don't forget to give the recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag @eatloveeats on Instagram - we love to see your creations!
    « Maple Almond Butter Snack Mix
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    Comments

    1. A says

      December 19, 2020 at 5:15 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe, forgiving, and versatile. I use whole wheat flour instead of white, and also throw in freeze dried cherries and berries. Turns out great, and with the extra fruit additions, I can feel like they're healthier - plus I get a dozen and a half muffins out of it! I've used different jams, such as strawberry / rhubarb. Always delicious!

      Reply
      • Sasha says

        December 23, 2020 at 3:44 pm

        So glad to hear this, your variations sound delicious! Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoyed them 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Sasha and I’m excited that you’re here! At Eat Love Eat, I work with my husband Jacob to create modern and approachable recipes that highlight the magic in simplicity; it’s our passion.

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