I mentioned below that I've been working on a recipe for strawberry lemon muffins. I've made them a few times with subtle variations and they've tasted great and looked awful -- sticking to the pan or staying flat, etc. The basic recipe was originally for blueberry muffins, but I started playing with it once when I had strawberries, but no blueberries. The last batch I made would probably have been fine if I had used muffin cups, but without them, they had a hard time coming out of the pan intact.

So here is my recipe for strawberry lemon muffins -- a work in progress. Any suggestions for improvement will certainly be considered.

Strawberry Lemon Muffins

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature (I usually stick them in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes to warm them up)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
zest of one lemon
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or you can use 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and leave out the whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pint diced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put paper linings in muffin pans (approximately 18). Spray oil on tops of muffin pans to keep overflow from sticking.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream, milk and lemon zest. In another mixing bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in strawberries (batter will probably turn pink) and make sure batter is completely mixed.

Drop batter into muffin cups and bake for about 30 minutes (check at 25 minutes if your oven burns hot). Muffins are done when lightly browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean.