A recipe for Cherry Blossom Muffins! These sweet sakura muffins are filled with finely chopped petals and white chocolate chips.
These Cherry Blossom Muffins are a wonderful springtime breakfast or brunch treat for celebrating cherry blossom (sakura) season.
They also come together easily in about an hour. The longest part is soaking the salted cherry blossoms before using.
Simply bring together the batter with the chopped cherry blossoms and white chocolate chips until just combined. Transfer to the muffin tins, decorate with more cherry blossoms and a sprinkling of coarse sugar, then bake until set.
The Cherry Blossom Muffins are best the day they are baked, especially within a couple of hours. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Allow to cool completely to room temperature before storing.
Salted Cherry Blossoms
To incorporate that cherry blossom flavor, I finely chopped Salted Cherry Blossoms and mixed them right into the batter.
Salt Pickled Cherry Blossoms (桜の塩漬け, Sakura no Shiozuke) are the edible flowers that have been preserved in salt and ume plum vinegar to retain the delicate shape and color.
To remove some of this excess salt, the blossoms need to soak in cold water for about 30 minutes before using.
The result is a lightly salted, floral flavor perfect for tea or blending into a variety of dishes from desserts to even onigiri (rice balls).
For those in the DC area, I have been able to find salted cherry blossoms at Maruichi Japanese Grocery in Rockville, Maryland. While living in Los Angeles, I would usually get them at the Rolling Hills Nijiya Market in Torrance. They can also often be found online on websites selling Japanese pantry staples.
After soaking, pat the blossoms lightly with paper towels to remove excess water. Set aside the 14 best looking flowers to use as garnish over the top of each muffin before finely chopping the rest.
A Few Cherry Blossom Muffin Tips
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
Take care to not overmix the batter. Blend together the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. Overmixing will create a tougher muffin and it won’t rise as well.
If the batter is too loose, add a little more flour (be careful not to add too much). If it is too dry, mix in a little more milk. It should be a thick batter, not pourable, but enough to easily scoop and drop into the tin.
Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 full. I like to use a standard ice cream scoop to transfer the batter to each of the prepared muffin tins. I have found this to be the easiest way to get a consistent size.
My friend Tori gave me pink teacup-shaped silicone liners for Christmas and they were so fun for highlighting the bright, floral theme of the muffins.
If you don’t use liners in the muffin tins, grease them with oil to keep the muffins from sticking and falling apart.
Bake the Cherry Blossom Muffins just until cooked through. Test by inserting a toothpick in the center. It is done once the toothpick comes out clean.
Looking for more muffin recipes?
Try my:
Cherry Blossom Muffins Recipe
Inspired from Chopstick Chronicles
Cherry Blossom Muffins
Ingredients
- 1.75 ounces (50 grams) salted cherry blossoms
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) milk
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 6 ounces (170 grams) white chocolate chips
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Place the cherry blossoms in a bowl of cold water and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Gently remove the cherry blossoms from the water and pat lightly with a towel to remove any excess water.
- Set aside 14 of the best looking cherry blossoms to use as garnish on top of the muffins.
- Remove any excess pieces of the stem and finely chop the remaining cherry blossoms.
- Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line 12-14 muffin tins with liners or lightly grease.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, chopped cherry blossoms, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the milk, yogurt, vegetable oil, and eggs to the center of the bowl and whisk together just until combined without any lumps.
- Fold in the white chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter into each prepared muffin tin until 3/4 full.
- Carefully place a reserved cherry blossom over the top of each muffin. If desired, sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350˚F (180˚C) and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. These muffins are best served the day they are made, especially within a couple of hours of baking.
Leave a Reply