Bakery style Strawberry Muffins

New recipe! Can you even believe it?! Kirsti and I decided we need to get back in the habit of sharing our favorite recipes by sharing at least one a month so here you go: 

 I’m starting off with these scrumptious strawberry muffins. Extra large and fluffy, these muffins are bursting with strawberry bits and topped with the most delicious strawberry glaze. If you end up with extra glaze, go ahead and drizzle some extra.  No judgement here :)  

Even if you already love the previous strawberry muffins on our blog, you need to try these- they are the only ones I'll be making from here on out.  They're that good!

Bakery Style Strawberry Muffins

modified from Preppy Kitchen 

*makes about 18 large muffins

Ingredients

Muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour (360 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter softened (226 grams)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
2 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk (240 mL)
1¾ cups diced fresh strawberries (328 grams)

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely diced strawberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or butter vanilla emulsion
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line about 18 cups of a muffin tin (or muffin tins) with parchment liners. *
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high until the light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla.
Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk. Once all is added, mix just until a few streaks of flour remain. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the strawberries.
Divide the batter evenly among the liners (they should be pretty full). 
Bake for 23-28 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. 

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and cream/milk, and extract until smooth.  Add the strawberry pieces and stir to combine.  

Once muffins have cooled to room temp, spoon glaze over the muffin tops.  Allow to sit until glaze has crusted over, about 30 min, or enjoy right away if you just can't wait.  They will be sticky but no less delicious! 

Notes
Stop mixing once the batter has only a few streaks of flour remaining. Over mixing the batter will lead to dense muffins or large holes in the crumb. The batter will finish mixing when you fold in the strawberries.
Make sure to measure your flour correctly, as too much flour will make the muffins dense. ​​I highly recommend always using a scale to measure flour. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is best for measuring flour without overpacking the measuring cup.
An ice cream or cookie scoop can help portion the batter evenly into the muffin tin.
Make sure you chop the strawberries into small pieces. This way, you get a little bit of strawberries with every bite.
Bring your ingredients onto the counter beforehand so that the ingredients are at room temperature before starting the recipe. Room temperature ingredients help everything mix together evenly without over mixing.

* tulip liners work really well here thanks to their extra height.  They're easy to make yourself as well if you don't have any on hand.  Simply cut parchment squares about 5X5 inches, find a small cup that fits inside your muffin tin and smoosh the parchment down into the center of the well, pressing all around the circle to make creases.  

*paper liners will work as well, but won't give you the same height. 

*to make normal sized muffins, fill the liners 2/3 full and bake for about 15-18 min.