These Fruit Explosion Muffins are loaded with strawberries and blueberries (or any berries you want!) and have a strawberry jam surprise inside! They are made with whole wheat flour and sour cream makes them extra moist.
Recipe posted first on The Recipe Critic.
These muffins have been on my To-Make list for a long time now.
I wanted to come up with a Fruit Explosion Muffin recipe that would rival that of Tim Horton’s, but maybe be a little healthier and made from scratch.
The problem is, I rarely experiment with muffin recipes. I have a couple that I like and make all the time: these Double Chocolate Banana Bran Muffins and these Banana Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins. And that is pretty much where the list ends.
I don’t know why — maybe it’s because I find muffins a little finnicky. It’s so easy to overmix or not add enough moisture, and then you have dry, crumbly muffins. Sometimes they stick to the liners and you’re just not sure why. And sometimes you just want to pour everything into a loaf pan and bake without the hassle of scooping into muffin tins.
But muffins are so great because they freeze perfectly, and you can pull out just one at a time. Awesome for school or work lunches!
I based this recipe off of the Berry Cream Muffins from Taste of Home, which is in one of my Taste of Home cookbooks. But beside the recipe I had written “so-so” — a note to myself from the first time I made them so I made a few changes and I am so happy with the result!
Finally, I have another recipe to add to my muffin list.
NOTES:
- I made these a little healthier with whole wheat flour — feel free to use all-purpose if you desire.
- Feel free to swap out the berries for other berries or different fruit, and same with the jam or jelly. The options are endless!
- Be sure to bake them until golden brown — the frozen fruit slows down the baking process slightly so you want to make sure they are completely baked!
*I have updated the recipe since posting after receiving feedback from a couple of readers — I made a couple changes to make them extra moist and extra flavorful. I increased the amount of berries, vanilla, and added in some unsweetened applesauce for moisture and sweetness, among a few other changes. If you’ve made the recipe before, note that it is now a bit different but the changes I made make them even better (more moist, more flavorful!) than before.
Fruit Explosion Muffins (Tim Horton’s Copycat)
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 cup light sour cream or 0% Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed – 80 grams
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 187 grams
- 1 cup whole wheat flour 135 grams
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups mixed berries of choice fresh or frozen*
- 3/4 cup jam or jelly nothing too runny!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 3 muffin pans with paper liners or use non-stick pans and grease lightly. You can also use silicone pans, though they will not brown as usual.
- In a large bowl, combine sour cream, oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla with a whisk. Stir in sugars until combined completely.
- Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir just until combined. Fold in berries.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into the bottom of each liner, spreading it cover the bottom completely. Top with 2 teaspoons of jam and cover with remaining batter (about one heaping tablespoon per muffin cup), covering the jam as best as you can.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes (I bake mine exactly 25 minutes), until golden brown, toothpick comes out clean and batter around berries appears set. Cool to room temperature and serve.
- May be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Dorothy says
Can you use all All purpose Flour instead of Whole Wheat?
They sound delicious. Must make.
Wesley says
Followed recipe exactly and they were too moist and never rised
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe Wesley. It has been a hit for myself (and others) so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
Janet says
Sorry? Forgot this – this makes 18 muffins? Just checking because you say in the instructions to line 3 muffin pans? Stanard size muffins, right? Thanks!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Yes they make 18. I said three because I was using the 6 cup muffin tins. Yes they are standard sized muffins.
Janet says
So, if I want to use just all purpose flour, I would use 2 1/2 cups total? Also, do you think frozen or fresh berries is a better choice in these muffins? Thank you! Can’t wait to try!
The Recipe Rebel says
Yes, the total would be 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. I prefer fresh.
Ida says
just made a batch; I found they were too lite coloured.so next batch 10 minutes more; they are delish…
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thanks Ida!
Kim Meyers says
I was excited to try this recipe as I had many berries that needed to be used up. I use both frozen strawberries and fresh blueberries I cooked them for 25 minutes as the author of the recipe sets what worked best for her when I took them outside and stuck a toothpick in them there was no dough on them so I thought they were cooked through needless to say after I let them dry or rather cool for 45 minutes at room temperature they were still on baked in the centre and it was too late to put them back into the oven
I might try again but I only try with one type of berry and cook for longer.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kim, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. The timing has worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
Kathy Neal says
My 3rd or 4th time making this recipe & always a hit!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Angela says
This didn’t work at all. Maybe BC I only had frozen fruit, but they completely sank in the middle and didn’t cook through. Didn’t notice til it was too late. Can’t put them back in the oven. And it was not enough to make 3 dozen lol barely enough to make 2 dozen. But didn’t rise at all.
Angela says
This wasn’t supposed to be 4 stars hahaha
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Angela! I’m so sorry to hear that. I did mention in the post that if frozen fruit was used it slows down the baking process slightly so you want to make sure they are completely baked.
Gaye says
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and one cup of old wheat flour. In the comments someone said four cups of flour, so how many cups or all purpose flour do I use?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Gaye! You’ll want to follow the directions in the recipe card. What you’ll seeing in the comments is how much it would be if you are doubling the recipe.
Amber says
I didn’t have any applesauce so I subbed for butter and they turned out perfectly! So soft & moist.
I added frozen cherries to the berry mix and it was delicious combination
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amber! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Jackie says
Hi Ashley! Are the measurements for regular size muffins? I just made these and they are oozing out all over. Trust me, they will still be eaten! Just curious. I also made 24 instead of 18. Thanks
Wendy Calvert says
I didn’t have wheat flour so I added extra white flour & 4 eggs insteadof 2 cause eggs were small, and I think I overmixed the batter cause they sunk. Instead of jam I substituted Cranberry filling. I’m also going to put Berries in after there in the muffin cups next time. See if they turn out better. Otherwise they are supermoist and flavor is great.
Sam says
Hi, would it be okay to use pie filling instead of jam or jelly?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely!
Rhonda says
I’ve made this several times and all but the first time didn’t work out. I baked them 5 minutes more and perfect every time.
Also I don’t fold in my berries. I add them after the batter is in the tins. The berries are equally divided with each tin so one doesn’t have more than the other. I’ll push or gently stir (with a small spoon) the berries into each cup.
Perfect each time!
I’m making a batch tonight.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Robyn says
These are incredible!! My kids can not stop eating them. I used 0% Greek yogurt, cherries, blueberries, strawberries and apples. It’s like a meal. Way healthier than cereal for breakfast and so much tastier! You are amazing! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Robyn! My kids adore them too!
Angela Diminutto says
I have made these a couple of times already and they’ve always turned out very nice !! I’ve decided to leave them in the oven an extra 10 minutes and they still turn out tasty. Thankyou so much for sharing your healthier version of the Tim Horton’s fruit explosion recipe :))
Angela 🤗
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!