An informal survey found that plenty of people don’t think of raspberry as a muffin type. In fact, when Allrecipes calculated their top 10 muffins of all time, raspberry didn’t even get a mention. Blueberry was number one, they even went so far as to refer to blueberry as the Beyoncé of muffins. It’s worth nothing that four of the top ten are variations on banana, four are variations on chocolate and one is bran. We deserve more than just four flavours don’t we?
Yes we do. And raspberry is where it’s at. Don’t believe us? Smitten Kitchen makes a strong case when she says “hefty, moist, lemony, not too sweet, and absolutely tie-dyed with a constellation of raspberries inside. I think they might be the best muffins I have ever made.” Sold.
Smitten also suggests using frozen raspberries over fresh, saying “Because we stir them in still frozen, they don’t get juicy until they’re baked so you end up with a thicker muffin batter that domes higher and spreads less.” Again, sold.
look at these sad, flat muffins were made with fresh raspberries.
There’s something about January that calls for a certain type of treat. Less indulgent than December, less chocolate-y than February, this month we are all trying to get healthy and find balance. What better way than with a muffin? Essentially a cupcake without icing that we’ve branded as being a health food despite all evidence to the contrary. Bring it on.
Hot Tip: if you’re using a larger muffin tin than needed (only making 6 in a 12 muffin pan) space them out and pour about 1 tablespoon of water in each empty cup, which will keep the empty pockets from burning.
The best recipe we’ve ever found comes from Smitten Kitchen, find it here. It calls for a substantial amount of raspberries, but you know what? You’re worth it.
