Today, my plan was to drive out to Pt. Reyes to get coffee and pastries at the Bovine Bakery, by far my favorite bakery in Marin.

Before heading out, I did something I rarely do. I called to make sure they were open. No luck, closed.

This is something I learned from Patrick. When we first moved to Marin, I would often come home after going out shopping and complain about all the different stores I had needed to drive to to finally find the thing I was looking for. To what he always replied, “Why didn’t you call the store before you left?”

It had never occurred to me to call a store to ask if they had something I needed before leaving my house, but it really saves so much time. I think that this is something people don’t do in Costa Rica. Do they? It seems so simple. Do you have fresh halibut today? Do you sell turmeric? Easy, right?

But, to be honest, I think that my impulse to call the Bovine Bakery before getting everyone in the car before 7 a.m. on a Sunday and driving all the way out to Pt. Reyes this morning had more to do with the coronavirus than anything else. Apparently, I needed a pandemic to become a better planner. Or perhaps it had to do with the fact that I am now the parent of teenagers. They would have been so mad at me if I’d gotten them out of their warm beds and into the car for nothing.

Anyway, after I heard they were closed, I quickly moved to “plan B,” which was bringing the bakery home to us.

I had lots of fresh strawberries sitting on the counter. Patrick’s mom had very kindly left some at our doorstep the day before. So, I decided to use them to make strawberry muffins.

I found a recipe in an old cookbook I’ve had for many years: Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2003. I thought they turned out pretty good, and that’s coming from someone who is not a big muffin fan. Sarah especially loved the crumble topping.

My favorite part of this recipe is that you only need a bowl and a whisk to make it, so you can start baking while everyone is still sleeping.

I couldn’t help tweaking things a bit. So, I used a bit less fruit and used a slightly different mix of ingredients for the topping. Here’s how I made them. Let me know if you try them, or if you have good recommendations for easy breakfast muffins.

Strawberry Muffins (adapted from MS Living)

Ingredients
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup strawberries, cut into small cubes

For the topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted

Mix the dry ingredients and drizzle the butter on top. Mix with a fork and with your fingers sprinkle the mixture over the muffins.

Method

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and combine well, using a whisk or a fork.
• In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients, with the fruit, making sure the butter is not too hot. Whisk well.
• Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, being careful not to overmix.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into muffin cups. Leave enough room for the crumble topping. Add the crumble and place them in the middle rack of the oven for about 17 minutes, or until tops are golden. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.