Fresh Raspberry Muffins

Fresh raspberries, vanilla bean and a crunchy, sugary topping. Move over blueberry muffins, you’ve got some stiff competition. Fresh Raspberry Muffins are in the house.

Sometimes I feel like an outsider in my own house. Being a mom to two boys and wife to a man who can hardly be considered a grown up, the shenanigans and rough housing that goes on is never-ending. It’s wrestling, boxing, fighting, potty talk and what seems to be a constant contest as to who can be the grossest. So far it’s three way tie.

For the most part, it doesn’t get to me. In fact, I can laugh at it and jump in on the chaos. But some days I just can’t. The nonstop rough housing and the amplitude at which they use their voices puts me over the top. I can’t stay cooped up in the house any longer with my little heathens. It’s outside we go where they can run wild and I can find some breathing room. Mother Nature is good that way- she gives us what we both need.

Last Sunday was one of those days. At about noon, I declared (maybe yelled) that we were going outside to do anything and everything that didn’t involve being wild in the house and making mommy crazy. So outside we went and where we spent the majority of the afternoon. I cleaned out my garden bed and laid a layer of compost while the boys made a zipline out of wrapping paper ribbon. Oh yes they did.

They played in the brush behind our house, digging holes in the dirt, collecting cactus and throwing rocks. They were covered in dirt, head to toe, and couldn’t have been happier. My favorite four-legged girl kept me company (I think she was feeling a little outnumbered as well) as we watched the boys do their thing. I swear I will always have a female dog just to even things out.

After spending 5 hours outside, we came in to make some dinner and think about taking a bath. But before dinner (or a bath) could happen, we decided to use up some raspberries that were on the fritz and make muffins. The boys had gotten all the their crazy out and were content to be kitchen assistants and taste testers. Clothing optional.

While we not so patiently waited for the muffins to bake, into the baths the boys went where (shocker) they proceeded to make a gigantic mess that involved two oversized kitchen mugs and a bottle of shampoo. Good thing they attempted to clean it up themselves with six bath towels. How did they know I wanted to do an extra load of laundry that day?

Finally the muffins were ready. And they were so worth the wait. I happen to love raspberries and think they’re underused in the baking world. I love the tartness they provide to a sweet muffin. We sprinkled the tops of the muffins with coarse sugar before baking to add some crunch and sweetness to the tart berries. My older son has a love of vanilla like his mama so we scraped the beans from one vanilla bean and mixed that in too.

A quick photo shoot before we could dig into the warm muffins. Of course I slathered mine in cold butter and while the kids washed theirs down with a glass of milk, I opted for red wine. I totally earned it. We gave up the idea of making dinner and ate muffins instead. We plopped down on the couch and watched a family movie. It was a long day and all of us were knackered.

I snuggled my little rascals and was as content as I could be. While it was a crazy day, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m lucky to have the two healthy and adventurous kiddos that I do. They teach me to relax, show me that life is full of adventure and make my heart a bigger and softer space.

Have a great rest of the weekend, everyone!

Fresh Raspberry Muffins

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• Yield: 12 muffins 1x

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Description

Fresh raspberries and vanilla bean make for a simple raspberry muffin recipe.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh raspberries, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons coarse sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with liners.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and seeds from the vanilla bean.
4. In medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just to blend; don’t over mix.
5. Gently fold in the fresh raspberries.
6. Divide the batter evenly among 12 standard muffin cups. Generously sprinkle the coarse sugar on top of each muffin and if desired place a few raspberries on top and gently press in.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and cool slightly on a wire rack before serving warm with cold butter and a glass of red wine.

Notes

This recipe has been adapted for my high altitude kitchen. To make at sea level, the only adjustment you need to make is increasing the sugar by 2 tablespoons.