Jam-Filled Muffins

October and Kristin wedding is three weeks away. I am thirty weeks pregnant with twins and the maid of honor situation, which I technically am, has been adapted by mutual agreement: I am doing the food, I am giving a toast, I am standing where I am supposed to stand. The walking-down-the-aisle part Ryan offered to do with me since we can walk slowly together and I can hold his arm. Kristin said that was perfect. She said she wanted us both up there anyway.

I made the full wedding dessert batch this week — the test run — and it took two days and used essentially all the counter space in our apartment, but: the kolaczki are exactly right. The Russian tea cakes are exactly right. The lemon tart is set and beautiful. The poppy seed cake is the thing I tried hardest on and it is the best batch I have ever made, which I attribute to having made it three times this year and to the stand mixer tireless dedication. I put it all on the counter and photographed it and texted the photo to Kristin and she called within a minute and said I am crying. I said it is cookies. She said I know what it is.

Babcia Rose is coming to the wedding and is making pierogi for the cocktail hour, which Kristin did not ask for and Babcia Rose offered and which David immediately said yes to, because David has been eating Babcia Rose pierogi at family gatherings for a year and he knows what they are. Babcia Rose said she would be there. I said you will be the star. She said she knows. She always knows.

The kolaczki were the thing that started it all for me — those little jam-filled pastries that Babcia Rose used to set out at every family gathering, the ones I taught myself to make because I wanted Kristin’s wedding table to feel like that kind of warmth. When I photographed the full spread and she called me crying, I knew it wasn’t really about the cookies. But the jam center is always the part that gets people — that soft, bright pocket of something sweet in the middle of something tender — and these jam-filled muffins are the easiest way I know to bring that same feeling to any table, whether it’s a wedding or a Tuesday.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup fruit jam or preserves (strawberry, raspberry, or apricot work well)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with butter or nonstick spray.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.
Fill halfway. Spoon batter into each muffin cup, filling each about halfway (roughly 2 tablespoons per cup).
Add the jam center. Place 1 teaspoon of jam in the center of each muffin cup, pressing it gently into the batter but not all the way to the bottom.
Top with remaining batter. Spoon another tablespoon or so of batter over the jam in each cup so the jam is covered. Cups should be about 3/4 full.
Bake. Bake for 18—22 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the muffin (not the jam center) comes out clean.
Cool and finish. Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Jam-Filled Muffins — The Heart of a Handmade Wedding Dessert Table