Soft Strawberry & Coconut Muffins

Soft strawberry and coconut muffins with golden tops, a tender crumb, and little bursts of fresh strawberry throughout. A simple bakery-style recipe that freezes beautifully for work and school lunches.

These muffins come from my baking days, when I was supplying to local cafés and baking in larger batches than most home kitchens ever see.

They quickly became a favourite. Soft, reliable, and just sweet enough, with little pockets of strawberry throughout and that gentle coconut finish. The kind of muffin people would come back for.

This week, I’m bringing a few of those recipes back. The ones that were made often, shared widely, and quietly became part of people’s routines.

Now they live here at home. They freeze beautifully for work and school lunches, although in our house they rarely make it that far. There is always one taken while still warm, and usually another not long after.

Simple, comforting, and well loved for a reason.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 26 min · Yield: Regular size muffins · Category: Baking

Ingredients

Soft Strawberry & Coconut Muffins

• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 90g butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
• 150g fresh strawberries, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line or grease a 6-hole muffin tin.
2. Sift self-raising flour into a large mixing bowl.
3. Rub butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add caster sugar, buttermilk, egg, desiccated coconut, and chopped strawberries.
5. Mix gently until just combined. The batter should be thick and soft. Do not overmix.
6. Spoon mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tin.
7. Bake for 20–26 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Allow muffins to rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

For a buttermilk substitute, use 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes before using.

For this recipe, use 1 1/4 cups milk plus 1 tablespoon and 3/4 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.

Strawberries vary in moisture, so the batter should be thick but still soft enough to spoon into the tin.

These muffins freeze well once cooled. Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag.

The Grace Table Tip

Warm one slightly before serving. The strawberry softens, the coconut becomes fragrant, and they taste almost freshly baked again.