Raspberry Muffins

Who has buttermilk? It's the question I have said out loud (to no one in particular) every time I review a recipe's ingredient list to see if I have the makings of said recipe. I mean really, who keeps buttermilk in the fridge just in case a recipe calls for it. I said no one... until I found cultured (powdered) buttermilk in the baking section of my local grocery store.

I subscribed to a magazine called Cooks Illustrated. My best friend turned me on to it. For someone who has several cookbooks and magazine subscriptions dedicated to food, I was shocked that this delightful publication quickly became something I could not live without. Cooks breaks down recipes to its core and builds it back up again; so the reader can understand the levels of the recipe. It's a dream magazine for someone like me who likes to understand why a recipe calls for certain steps, ingredients, etc. You can get a subscription to the website where you will find hundreds of recipes. That's where I found an amazing recipe for blueberry muffins which called for one cup of buttermilk. Since I had a brand new container of cultured buttermilk, I began making the perfect muffins.

Ten seconds in to the baking process, I promptly adapted the recipe into raspberry muffins. I was so worried about the buttermilk, I didn't look to see if I had blueberries on hand. Oops.

Here's what I learned from making Cooks' muffins:

1. You can use any fruit you like. Like I said above, I used raspberries because it was the only berry I had when I wanted to make the recipe. Use whatever fruit fits your fancy. You may want to adjust the sugar if you are using a naturally sweeter fruit. I did not adjust the sugar when I replaced the blueberries with raspberries because I like the tartness of raspberries. To each his own.

2. If you can't find buttermilk (regular or cultured) you can easily make it. Buttermilk is heavy cream/milk with a higher level of acidity due to lactic acid. You can create the same 'sour milk' concept by taking a measuring cup and adding one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to it. Then add enough milk to make one cup of fluid. Let stand for five minutes and use as necessary.

3. Less isn't more in this recipe. I made the recipe using one cup of berries in the batter. Next time, I will increase that to 1.5-2 cups. The muffin dough is amazing on it's own, but I love fruit and feel the recipe proportions lacked for me. Try it out and see what you think.

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Raspberry Muffins

Streusel Ingredients

3 tablespoons white sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup flour, plus

4 tablespoons melted butter

Muffin Ingredients

2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

1 1/8 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk or 4 tablespoons cultured buttermilk and 1 cup water

Yield: 12 muffins Prep Time: 20-30 mins Bake Time 15-17 mins

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the dry streusel ingredients. Add half the butter and mix. Keep adding the rest of the butter and mix until pea size and crumbly. Add more flour as necessary to achieve desired texture. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare regular muffin tins with liners (I also sprayed the top of the pan with nonstick cooking spray since I knew the muffins would bubble over.

3. In a small sauce pan, bring one cup of berries, water and one teaspoon of sugar to simmer. Cook, stirring frequently and mashing berries with a fork several times until the mixture reduces by half. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature.

4. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. Whisk remaining sugar and eggs together in another bowl until combined. Slowly mix butter and oil until combined and then whisk in buttermilk and vanilla. Combine wet mixture with dry mixture making sure not to over mix (batter should be lumpy).

5. With a spatula, fold in remaining cup of berries.

6. Using a large spoon, divide batter into prepared muffin tins; completely fill the cups until the batter is slightly mounded (see photo, #1).

7. Spoon teaspoon of cooked berries into the center of each muffin cup. Gently swirl filling into batter using a figure-eight motion with a tooth pick or skewer.

8. Sprinkle streusel mixture evenly over muffins (see photo, #2).

9. Bake until muffin tops are golden and firm (see photo, #3). Cool muffins in the pan for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving. Enjoy!

#raspberry #muffins #buttermilk