May 30, 2013

A Great Way to Celebrate Summer Berries: Dark Chocolate and Fresh Raspberry Mix-It-Up Muffins

Click for Recipe for Gluten-Free Fresh Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins
Gluten-Free Fresh Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins


Fresh berries never last long in my household. Between my two boys and I we are able to eat almost our weight in blueberries, blackberries and raspberries during the summer months. Growing up there was a large patch of wild blackberries that we would go every summer to pick. We would collect as many fresh berries as we could carry home and my mother would bake pies and desserts for weeks. I remember being covered head to toe in berry juice and being as happy as can be. My two boys seemed to have inherited my love of all things berries, they will go into the fridge and sneak as many as they can get their hands on. Luckily berries have been inexpensive recently so I have been baking and cooking with them frequently and allowing my boys as many bowls as they can handle (within reason). This week I tried a new recipe for Mix-It-Up Muffins from the June 2013 issue of Parents Magazine.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 10 muffins. I did make a number of changes to the original recipe. First, I made two batches of muffins, one gluten-free and one regular. I made half the muffins with carrots and raisins (not pictured) and half dark chocolate-raspberry. As I always do when making muffins I used foil liners. They are so much easier to unstick the muffins from, especially when using gluten-free flours. One step that the recipe leaves out is to roll the berries in a small amount of flour before adding them to the batter. This allows the berries to not 'bleed' into the rest of the muffin batter.

My youngest son was a larger fan of these muffins than my oldest. I would suggest a few changes to the original recipe. First the raspberries ended up a little soggy in the recipe. I would cut the overall amount used or switch to using blueberries and roasted cut-up almonds instead. The recipe would also work well with the dark chocolate chips and dried blueberries, cherries or cranberries. This would also keep the berries from making the muffins soggy. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be modified very easily to suit your tastes and what you have in your pantry. White chocolate chips, nuts, raisins and dried coconut would all work very well with the original recipe.

For the recipe go to Dark Chocolate and Fresh Raspberry Muffins.  (registration required)

30 comments:

  1. I miss having berry bushes so available! W had wild raspberries and blackberries when I was a kid.
    These muffins look delicious! Tanks for sharing on Foodie Friday

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    1. We had raspberries and blackberries too. They are so good fresh! Thanks for the nice comment!

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  2. I love berries too. These look really delicious!

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  3. Funny, I was just posting about my love of berries. I wish these were in my kitchen right now. I'm also an avid lover of dark chocolate. Can't wait to make these. :)

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    1. Great minds think alike :) I am a huge dark chocolate fan, I could eat it in almost any baked good!

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  4. I wouldn't like my muffin soggy, either. We eat LOTS of berries during the summer time, too! So good.

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    1. My youngest said he didn't think they were soggy, so each person is different texture wise :) Berries are great I agree!

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  5. Pinning and visiting from What to do Weekends party from Crafts a la mode.

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    1. Thanks for the pin :) Going over to return the favor!

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  6. Dark chocolate and fresh raspberries? It doesn't get any better than that combo!

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    1. It is one of my favorite food combos, yum!

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  7. I saw these at Foodie Friday - they look right up my alley!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by :) I love anything with dark chocolate and fresh berries are a staple in my house during the summer!

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  8. Replies
    1. Thanks :) The nice thing is that the recipe can be modified to add whatever nuts, fruits etc that you would like.

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  9. I remember being covered in berry juice too, as a kid, and loving it. That's classic stuff for any happy childhood. :)

    The muffins look tasty. :)

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    1. I agree, those are the memories that last :) Thanks for the sweet comment!

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  10. These are so yummy looking. Best wishes for a great weekend.Linda

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  11. Chocolate and berries go together perfectly! Dark chocolate is my preference too.

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    1. I love dark chocolate, but my husband can't stand it :)

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  12. Nice! I've never baked with raspberries before, but I love basically all fruit. Visiting through the What to do Weekends!

    Natashalh

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    1. They are great in tortes and coffee cakes! Going over to check out your site!

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  13. we love berries, too, but they are so expensive here. so...raspberries and blackberries rarely make it to the checkout. we do get a lot of strawberries and blueberries, tho! the berry + dark choc combination sounds wonderful!

    rockoomph.blogspot.com
    Win a Summery Blue Satchel!

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    1. Luckily they are pretty inexpensive in the summer here. Growing up blackberries grew wild so we never had to pay for them, which was great :)

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  14. OMG I must try these. I love raspberries and dark chocolate. In fact one layer of my wedding cake was chocolate cake with a raspberry mouse. Yum! Those two things go so well together.

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    1. I love the combo too. Your wedding cake sounds yummy, I would have loved it :)

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  15. These look so yummy! How can you go wrong with Dark Chocolate and ... well, anything! LOL Thanks for the inspiration! www.NoSkinnies.com

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    1. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate, it is delicious!

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