Light and Springy Raspberry-Lemon Muffins

Hey everybody!  I am back from the cornfields of Ohio. My sister graduated, and I am so proud of her and so happy I was able to be there for her big day.  However, I am SO thankful to be back safe and sound with Chris and Luke again! I missed them like crazy.  Luke gave me a solid 5-minute hug when I got home.  He wouldn’t let go.  It was awesome. :)

Anyway, on to the food for today!

I recently had a raspberry-lemon muffin from a coffee shop in Westerly, RI.  It was amazing and one of those treats I just couldn’t get out of my mind (um, that happens a lot, in case you were wondering).  So, I did what any desperate normal person would do and typed “world’s best raspberry lemon muffins” into my Google search bar.  Go big or go home, baby. 

Well, a lot of different ones popped up, but many of them were using over a cup of sugar.  Now that I’ve changed my diet, low sugar in recipes is really something I look for.  I definitely keep Michael Pollan’s mantra of “Treat treats as treats” in mind, but I also don’t see any reason not to keep treats as nourishing as possible while also still being yummy. 

I decided to go with the Williams-Sonoma recipe, which I adapted slightly.  I think it came out really well, it got good reviews from my family, and it definitely satisfied my craving. :)

Easy Raspberry-Lemon Mini-Muffins
{Adapted from Williams-Sonoma}

Ingredients:

• 1 C unbleached white flour
• 1 C white whole-wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1 flax egg (1 T ground flax and 3 T water)
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/6 C milk* (I prefer skim or 1% when baking)
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• brown sugar for topping muffins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 425°F. Spray mini muffin tins with non-stick spray. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until blended. Whisk in the milk, butter and lemon zest. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just evenly moistened. Gently fold in the raspberries until just evenly distributed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full.  Top each with a pinch of brown sugar, if desired.  Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then turn the muffins out onto the rack. Let cool briefly and serve. Makes about 55 mini-muffins.

*About the weird milk measurement: whole-wheat flour and flax seed tend to make recipes a little dry.  I have been experimenting with adding a tiny bit more of whatever liquid is actually called for (to make up for the dryness), and it’s been coming out well for me.  Basically, I just poured in my cup of milk and then added a little bit more to the bowl. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Baking, by Lou Seibert Pappas (Oxmoor House, 2006).

I hope you enjoy these light and springy muffins! They would be perfect for an upcoming baby shower, bridal shower or brunch over the next few months!

Linked to these food parties:

Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green