Making the Perfect Raspberry Muffins

You would have think that a blog with the name “Muffins and Magnolias” would be sharing muffin recipe, after muffin recipe, after muffin recipe…but I personally think that that would be boring both for me, the writer, and you, the reader…right?!

But every now and then I do plan on sharing a muffin recipe…and today I’m gonna share how to make the perfect raspberry,muffins….(or any other type of muffin you might concoct in your head as well)……

So now let’s get down to the bread and butter of making the perfect raspberry muffins, shall we?!

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The Perfect Raspberry Muffin

The perfect raspberry muffin is tender rand delicious….sweet and fluffy….light and sweet…tart, sweet, and decadent…with the perfect amount of raspberries, as well as your any other favorite additional ingredients to it.

I especially like the muffins that are big bakery-style muffins, but I have also included instructions on how to make the teeny weeny ones so that you can eat more without realizing just how many calories you are consuming.

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INGREDIENTS

Dtry Ingredients

2C flour
1Tbsp baking powder
½tspsalt
1tsp cinnamon
3/4C sugar
1/4C brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

1Cmilk
1Tbsp lemon juice or 1tsp lemon zest
1tspvanilla
2 egg
¼Ccanola or vegetable oil…(actually you could use whatever oil you’d like…see this Best Cooking Oils to Use for Diabeticspost to see more options)…
1C plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

1-1/2C frozen raspberries

Glaze Ingredients

1C powdered sugar
3Tbsp lemon juice

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PREP WORK

Like cooking anything else, the first step is to prepare. Preparing to make muffins involves what is know as the “muffin mixing method,” a standard procedure of mixing ingredients together in a specific order that is used in nearly all muffins and quick breads.

This method involves whisking the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl…mixing the wet ingredients together in another bowl…adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients…and finally mixing them all together quickly but efficiently to combine the two….

Preheat the oven to 350….(Recently I realized that practically anything and everything you cook cooks at 350…ever noticed that?)

Grease all twelve cups on your muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or cooking spray.

Many people use papers liners. I don’t…you’re gonna have to spray the liners if you do use them…and my six year old will probably end up throwing the liner(s) on the floor…one more thing that I haver to pick up,

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MAKING THE BATTER

(First note that the batter should not be made before you are planning on baking them because the leavening power of the baking powder and baking soda will be lost and your baked goods will not turn out,)

1.Gently toss the dry ingredients together in a large bowl until the ingredients are combined.

Mixing the dry ingredients together first will help ensure that the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter and that you do not end up with pockets of flour in your muffins.

2. Now mix together the wet ingredients in a larger bowl. You would be much better off if you can add all of your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients at the same time.

3. Combine the dry and wet ingredients to finish making your batter.

First make a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients. Then pour the wet ingredients into the well.

Stir all the ingredients together until they are all “incorporated”…being careful not to overmix.

One of the key secrets to making marvelous muffins is to not overmix the batter. Over-mixing the batter can cause peaks and tunnels to your muffins and also gives them a tough texture.

You should always stir muffin ingredients together with a wooden spoon, a spatula, or a hand mixer…never your electric mixer….(do as I say, not what I do…I’m lazy)..

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BAKING THE MUFFINS

1.Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, all the way to the top. …using a small ice cream scoop to do this.

If you do not have enough batter to fill all of the cups, be sure to put a little water in the empty cups. Otherwise, your muffins will end up scorching.

2. Gently fold the raspberries into the batter, saving about two dozen to put on top of each muffin. The mixture will be thick, but don’t worry.

3. Top each muffin with four or five raspberries, enough to cover the batter.

4. Sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar on top of the muffins before sticking them in the oven. This will give them a better appearance and make the tops slightly crunchy…not to mention that this will make the muffins sweeter…(go figure…

5. Bake for about twenty minutes….baking at 425°F for the first five minutes…and then reduce oven temperature to 375°F and then continue to bake for fifteen minutes longer.

Note that your muffins are finished baking whenever they turn golden, rounded, and have firm edges…or as we’ve all been told how many times…until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6.. Let muffins cool…Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.

At this point, you may want to glaze the muffins with a mixture of powdered sugar and a couple of tablespoons lemon juice.

Let the muffins cool for at least five minutes before serving.

If you have used paper muffin papers, remove the papers after about five minutes after getting them out of the oven. Otherwise, the papers will be impossible to take off the muffins.

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SAVING UP

Store muffins, covered, at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Although muffins obviously taste their absolute best if eaten the same day, you can also make them ahead and then freeze them for up to three months.

When ready to eat, microwave for twenty seconds.

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Muffins and Mozart