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    Home » Recipes » Muffins

    Published on: July 23, 2013 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: March 9, 2023 27 Comments

    Red currant muffins

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    Red currant muffins cooling on rack with glass of milk in background, one muffin open in front

    These red currant muffins are lovely light, cakey muffins full of tart little red currants, fresh from the market. This is the perfect recipe to throw together with any of the summer berries you can find. Bake it in a cake pan to cut and serve later, or in a muffin tin for summery breakfasts and snacks.

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Red currants are definitely more common in European countries than they are in North America. The season is short and currants hit the market stands in July. Currants are tart and can vary in colour: there are white currants, red currants, and even black currants (known as cassis in French).

    You can add currants to jams (like this strawberry and red currant jam), muffins (like in the red currant muffin recipe below), and even cakes (like in this simple blackcurrant cake). If you'd like to see more ideas, read about baking with fresh currants.

    Jump to:
    • What you need to make muffins with red currants
    • Are currants the same fruit as dried currants?
    • Making muffins with red currants
    • Crispy sugary muffin topping
    • Helpful tools to make muffins
    • Storage
    • How to defrost muffins
    • Other muffins fruit to try
    • 📖 Recipe

    What you need to make muffins with red currants

    The red currants season is short and will inevitably require a special trip to your local market to get your hands on some. But otherwise, you will need mostly pantry and fridge staples:

    • To make the muffins
      • butter, preferably unsalted though salted butter will also work. You will omit the salt in the muffin batter if you choose to bake with salted butter.
      • granulated sugar—brown sugar could work but choose light brown sugar to avoid overpowering the honey
      • large eggs, don't use smaller eggs because your batter may be too dry and the muffins won't be tender
      • milk is included with the wet ingredients to make sure these muffins are moist
      • vanilla extract is added to enhance the flavour in the batter—feel free to use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract!
      • all-purpose flour (or half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour) is needed to bind all the ingredients together and give the muffins more structure
      • baking powder and baking soda are needed here to improve the rise instead of just baking powder alone, without baking soda. Read up on baking soda vs baking powder if you are unsure about the difference between them
      • salt is really important to bring out the sweet vanilla flavour which can get lost. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the muffins will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.
      • fresh red currants–stripped and separated from the stems and branches
    • To make the sugar topping
      • butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add salt to the streusel, but if you have salted, it will work. Just adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly, otherwise, your topping may be too salty
      • granulated sugar though brown sugar would also work here and would add to the molasses flavour
      • all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour will work in the streusel. It gives the streusel a little body so that the paste of butter and sugar doesn't melt all over the muffin tops
      • sliced almonds
    A white bowl filled with red currants.

    Are currants the same fruit as dried currants?

    Red currants (or white/black currants) are not the same as dried currants and if you dried a bunch of red currants, you would not have dried currants like what you buy in stores. Dried currants come from small grapes known as Corinthian grapes (raisins de Corinthe in French). And these tiny grapes are dried to form what is called dried currants, just like regular grapes are dried into raisins.

    This recipe was adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, but I changed the mixing method significantly and I also added a crispy sugar topping. These are lovely light, cakey muffins full of tart little red currants, fresh from the market. This is the perfect recipe to throw together with any of the summer berries you can find. Bake it in a cake pan to cut and serve later, or in a muffin tin for summery breakfasts and snacks.

    Making muffins with red currants

    The mixing method I used for this muffin recipe is the reversed creaming method. All the dry ingredients and the sugar are whisked together, then the softened butter is worked into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles sand. At that point, you add the wet ingredients (which are already mixed together before adding them to the dry mixture).

    I prefer this method over the muffin method or the two-bowl method for two reasons:

    1. I like to bake my muffins with butter, but incorporating the melted butter with the cold wet ingredients makes it clump and then it doesn't incorporate evenly into the muffin batter in the end.
    2. You could first incorporate wet and dry ingredients, then stir in the melted butter into the muffin batter, but for this, I find that adds too many steps and it can be hard to incorporate a liquid fat properly in an already mixed batter, which leads to more mixing, which isn't ideal!
    3. I don't want to use any small electric appliance for muffins, so the creaming method is out: muffins should be easy! 

    This is the easiest way I've found to bake muffins with butter and to incorporate the butter easily. This method works great! Try it!

    Crispy sugary muffin topping

    I've made these red currants plain, garnished with just sliced almonds before baking, and I've baked them with a streusel topping (made of butter, sugar, flour, and ground almonds). Another interesting topping is a crispy sugar topping made from roughly equal parts, by weight, of butter, sugar, and flour. This sugar paste is broken up into pieces and scattered over the muffin tops before baking.

    In the oven, the sugar paste melts quickly, forming a crispy sweet coating on the muffin top that is super tasty, adding a good amount of crunch.

    Since currants come in a variety of colours with varying levels of sweetness and tartness, you can bake these muffins with any fresh currants, interchangeably. But because fresh currants only grow in certain parts of the world, if you can't find currants at all, wild blueberries (or other blueberries) are a good substitute for currants, though a little sweeter and less tart than red currants. You could also try raspberries, but you should freeze the raspberries before folding them in because they are very delicate.

    Helpful tools to make muffins

    These red currant muffins are easy to make and I like to mix them by hand, which means you don't need a special electric mixer or a stand mixer. Still, there are a few tools that will make your muffin-baking sessions a little easier:

    1. Muffin pans: for regular muffins, you can't get away without a muffin pan. And if you can, please invest in two 6-cup muffin pans (like this Wilton pan on Amazon) or one bigger 12-cup muffin pan (like these Wilton pans on Amazon). This way you will be ready to make full batches of most recipes, which can yield anywhere from 8 to 12 muffins, depending on how much batter you scoop per cup. 
    2. Paper liners, parchment liners, silicone liners: we can debate over which is better for muffins, but personally, I like disposable paper liners (like these on Amazon that you would use for cupcakes too). For lower-fat muffins or muffins with less sugar, these can stick to paper liners. In this case, use parchment liners (Amazon) or silicone liners (Amazon). Savoury muffins, for example, work best baked in either of these.
    3. Large cookie scoops: Some call them "dishers" and they are the most reliable scoops I've found on Amazon. They can handle firm doughs without breaking because the release mechanism is separate from the handle! This gives you a better, firm grip on the handle, without the risk of breaking the leaver. The handles are different colours according to the size. 
    4. Cake tester and/or instant-read thermometer: if you bake a lot, you can probably gently poke muffins with your fingertip and instinctively know when they are done baking. The rest of us have to use a cake tester or thermometer to check if the muffins are done baking.
    Red currant muffins cooling on a rack with a glass of milk and one half eaten

    Storage

    You can store these muffins at room temperature, covered, for about 3 days. Otherwise, they will go stale.

    For longer storage, I suggest freezing the muffins once they've cooled down completely to room temperature. They freeze really well! Freeze them in the muffin trays or on a sheet pan until frozen solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag to store for up to 2 months.

    How to defrost muffins

    If you want to defrost frozen muffins, you have a few options depending on how much time you have:

    • longest method—in the fridge overnight, unwrapped to avoid moisture buildup on the surface of the muffin tops
    • at room temperature, unwrapped to avoid moisture buildup on the surface of the muffin tops—this will take a few hours
    • fastest method—in the microwave oven: place the unwrapped muffin on a napkin or a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH for about 30 seconds for each muffin. The time and results will vary according to the power of your microwave.
    Freshly baked red currant muffins cooling on a parchment-lined wire rack with one open in half and a pink glass of milk in the back

    Other muffins fruit to try

    If you need more fruit muffin inspiration, try these honey blueberry muffins, rhubarb muffins, or these plum coffee cake muffins. And if it's not summer, my go-to recipe is for these date bran muffins, which is my all-time favourite muffin, even if it's not really cool.

    • Low sugar blueberry bran muffins
    • Strawberry rhubarb muffins with crumb topping
      Strawberry rhubarb muffins with streusel
    • A plate with an apple blackberry muffin split open, served with butter and a cup of tea.
      Hearty apple blackberry muffins
    • Plum muffins before baking in a muffin pan.
      Plum muffins

    📖 Recipe

    A muffin pan of red currant muffins ready to be baked.

    Red Currant Muffins

    AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi
    Homemade red currant muffins made with fresh red currants. The berries are nice and tart, which makes a lovely flavor contrast to these sweet, buttery muffins. These muffins have a lovely light texture. 
    4.75 from 12 votes
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    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 323 kcal

    Equipment

    • Muffin pan
    • OXO balloon whisk
    • 3-¼ oz scoop
    • Cake tester

    Ingredients
     
     

    Sugar paste

    • 42 grams unsalted butter
    • 50 grams granulated sugar
    • 40 grams bleached all-purpose flour

    Red currant muffins

    • 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
    • 250 grams granulated sugar
    • 10 mL baking powder
    • 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature, cut into rough chunks
    • 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
    • 2 large egg(s)
    • 5 mL pure vanilla extract
    • 250 grams red currants tossed in 1 tablespoon of flour to evenly coat the berries
    • 30 grams sliced almonds

    Instructions
     

    Sugar paste

    • In a small bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine the butter, sugar, and flour until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.

    Red currant muffins

    • Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Prepare two 6-cup muffin pans by lining each well with a paper liner. Set aside.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together all the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
    • Add the butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Set aside.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla, then pour that mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon just to combine.
    • Gently fold in the red currants.
    • Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.
    • Top each muffin with sliced almonds and chunks of the sugar paste. Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
    • Cool on a wire rack.

    Notes

    • These are a lovely light, cake-y muffins full of tart little red currants, fresh from the market. This is the perfect recipe to throw together with any of the summer berries you can find. Bake it in a cake pan to cut and serve later, or in a muffin tin for summery breakfasts and snacks.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 209mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 392IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 2mg
    Give backIf you enjoy the free content on this website, buy me a pound of butter to say thanks!
    Homemade red currant muffins baked in brown parchment liners and broken open to show the inside
    Red currants come on long whispy branches, also known as gooseberries

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    Comments

    1. tata4now says

      August 03, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      Nice, cakey-type muffin. I was short on the currants, so added in 1/2c blueberries and mixed the almonds in with the fruit. I also did subbed in Splenda/sugar blend (2/3c) for the white sugar and just dusted the tops with coarse sugar. I think using a bit of almond flour would be nice (next time!). Thx for the yummy recipe!

      Reply
    2. Carolyn says

      January 17, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      These have become my favorite muffin! I live in Alaska and Red Currants and Blueberries are abundant in the fall, so I always have some in my freezer. These are amazing with either. Bonus that I don't need an electric mixer to make these so I don't wake my family up in the morning if I get up early to make them! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Cate says

      July 16, 2021 at 12:32 pm

      These are delicious! I would like to mention that we only added half the sugar and also didn’t use the sugar paste topping and they still tasted more like cupcakes than muffins!

      Reply
      • Janice says

        July 19, 2021 at 10:11 am

        I'm so glad you like them! I do like a sweet cake-y muffin, especially with red currants which are quite sour, so you are right that there is room to cut the sugar here 😉

        Reply
    4. WineeJ says

      July 12, 2021 at 11:27 am

      I was in an experimental mood, so I reduced the sugar to 1 cup, added 1 tablespoon of rosewater, and substituted 1/4 cup flour with almond meal. Absolutely delicious!! The flavour of rose with the tartness of the red currants did something magical I think!

      Reply
    5. Corinna says

      July 23, 2020 at 10:19 am

      Delicious! I didn't have sliced almonds, so I grated some roasted whole almonds and mixed them in along with some Almond flavouring.

      Reply
    6. Lily says

      October 25, 2019 at 8:33 am

      These were absolutely delicious! I couldn't fault them at all. The perfect amount of sweetness to balance out the acidity of the currants. Both of my sons devoured them (and they're picky eaters). Thank you so much for the recipe, it's a winner!

      Reply
    7. Jackie Mitchell says

      July 05, 2019 at 10:01 pm

      We moved about a year and a half ago and discovered a young red currant bush in the back yard—I had no idea what to do with the berries! So this year I was ready with a few recipes and this one is our favorite by far. The sweet-tangy taste really does it for me, and my husband loves how tender and moist the cake is. Thank you so much! I feel like because of our new favorite muffins recipe I’ll always be eagerly awaiting currant season in our garden!

      Reply
    8. Anne says

      July 05, 2018 at 4:19 pm

      Just a note from the UK
      Redcurrants and gooseberries are most definitely not the same on this side of the pond.
      Gooseberries are more often green (occasionally purple) and are the size of a grape but much tarter and require lots of sugar when cooking as the seeds add extra tannin dryness/tartness.
      Just looking forward to using up our redcurrants with these muffins though.
      Thanks
      A

      Reply
      • Carly says

        July 30, 2019 at 7:03 am

        I'm a farmer and homesteader in Canada and wanted to say the same thing, its not just in the UK. Gooseberries are a different fruit in the same family!

        Reply
    9. Margot Brinn says

      April 28, 2018 at 1:40 pm

      They were delicious; I give it 5 stars; I substituted honey -- and not much--I like my sweets not very sweet.

      Reply
    10. Emily says

      July 05, 2017 at 4:08 pm

      These turned out wonderfully! I used fresh currants from my garden and sprinkled them with icing sugar once they came out of the oven. They looked great and tasted even better! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
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