Neapolitan Muffins | Vanilla Chocolate Strawberry Muffins

The classic Neapolitan ice cream flavors of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are all combined in these Neapolitan muffins!

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The combo of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry is a classic one. Whether it’s in that nostalgic carton of striped grocery store ice cream that my mom loved to buy when I was a kid. Or it’s in my various Neapolitan-inspired and adjacent recipes like my Neapolitan brownies, chocolate and strawberry scones, or oatmeal and dried strawberry cookies with chocolate hearts. I adore the combination. Which is how I ended up whipping up these Neapolitan muffins, with a swirl of marbled chocolate and vanilla muffin batter, and packed with fresh strawberries and chocolate chunks. It’s barely sweet, like a muffin should be, but just enough of a treat that it feels a little decadent to be eating for breakfast.

How do you make these muffins?

Though these muffins look complicated to make, they actually are pretty easy to make, and they’re super impressive to serve! The first thing you need to do is slice up 1/2 pound of strawberries, discarding the green part. Then toss the strawberries with a little bit of sugar and raspberry or balsamic vinegar. Let them sit for a little bit while you make the rest of the muffin batter.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix together plain yogurt, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a different bowl. Scrape the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 

Then gently fold the two parts together. Don’t overmix, as this will lead to a tough muffin. Instead fold and mix the two, leaving some dry streaks in the batter. Then divide the batter in half, scooping out half the batter back into the bowl that had the yogurt and wet ingredients.

Scoop out the strawberries, leaving behind the liquid (don’t toss it!) and fold the strawberries into one half of the batter. With the other half of the batter, mix in the Dutch processed cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and any remaining liquid from the strawberries. 

Then spoon alternating scoops of each batter into a greased muffin pan and bake! 

What is the role of the raspberry or balsamic vinegar?

I use a touch of raspberry or balsamic vinegar to add acidity and bring out the juicy flavor of the strawberries. If you don’t have raspberry or balsamic vinegar, you can also use the same amount of lemon juice or orange juice. 

If you don’t have any of those acidic ingredients above, just skip it. Don’t substitute regular white vinegar though. It’s flavor is too harsh for these muffins. 

How do I store these muffins?

Store these muffins in an airtight container or in a resealable Ziploc bag in the refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring them to room temperature before serving. 

You can also store them longer in the freezer, for up to 2 month. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours, or until they are frozen solid. Then move them to a freezer Ziploc bag for long term storage. Thaw them on the countertop for a couple hours before serving, or quick warm them up in the microwave.

If you like these Neapolitan Muffins, check out these other strawberry recipes:

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Neapolitan Muffins, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry muffins

These gorgeous looking muffins aren’t as difficult to make as they look. Nor are they as sweet as you would think, with just the right balance of chocolate and vanilla muffin batter and packed with sweet fresh strawberries. Save a few strawberries slices and chocolate chips and place them on top of the muffin to give them an extra special bakery look!

Ingredients

Strawberry mix-in

• 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries 8 ounces
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon raspberry vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Muffin Batter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup plain yogurt 295 g
• 3/4 cup white sugar 150 g
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa 25 g
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips 100 g

To prep pan

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.Prep the strawberry mix in by placing the strawberries, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Toss to coat and set aside.

• Make the muffin batter by whisking together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

• Place the plain yogurt, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk together until smooth and uniform.

• Pour and scrape the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Then mix and fold the ingredients together, until most of the dry ingredients are absorbed. Don’t overmix. You want some dry patches!

• Divide the batter in half (about 450 grams if you have a scale), scooping half the batter into the bowl that had the wet ingredients. In one bowl, scoop out the strawberry slices with a slotted spoon making sure to leave behind the wet liquid at the bottom. Reserve 12 strawberry slices for the top. Gently fold the fruit into the batter.

• In the other bowl, add the cocoa powder and the remaining liquid from the strawberries. Mix until the batter is uniform in color. Then add the chocolate chips, reserving a few chips for the top mix until the chocolate is even distributed.

• Brush the melted butter into the pan. Then alternate spoonfuls of the chocolate and vanilla (with strawberry slice) batter into each cup of the muffin pan. Place the reserve strawberry slices on top of each muffin and sprinkle the reserve chocolate chips over the muffin .
• Place the muffin pan in the oven and immediately reduce the heat down to 400°F. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a couple of muffins. If you have an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should be somewhere between 200°F and 205°F.Cool the muffins in the pan for about 10 minutes, so they aren’t as fragile when you handle them. Then remove them and place them on a wire cooling rack to cool to completely.

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