Heading into the week with muffins! If you've never tried Greek yogurt in baking, you're missing out. These muffins are deliciously perfect for some weekday baking! Okay, so just recently I was talking about buying seasonally and saving money. You can read all about that in this post if you'd like to see how I try to cut corners on the food front and still eat well. Anyway here I am using fresh raspberries in October! Shouldn't I be focusing more on seasonal food like, say, pumpkins? Well, just the other day I was in our local Aldi. Which, by the way, is one of my favorite supermarkets. If you're not familiar, it's a German chain supermarket and they are springing up all over the place. Originally a low cost supermarket, they have over the years changed their position to more fresh, organic and just a fantastic range of so many products. So, we like Aldi. I just went for three things. Yes, three things. I didn't leave with a winter coat, a shelf organizer or a new dog bed. But I did leave with a ton of raspberries. Exciting. You see, raspberries aren't local to us here. They are grown in the north of the country, in what I believe to be small quantities. Then on the west coast of Portugal they do massive raspberry farming. But after spending some time on in that region recently, I understand why raspberries are expensive. They are fragile and so labour intensive. So when I see that sticker price of €2.29 for an 8oz tub, I now understand why. So, raspberries are a bit of a luxury and I hardly ever buy them. But when I saw them on half price how could I pass them up. So I bought quite a few little tubs. Got home. bagged them up and threw them in the freezer for another baking day. But I did leave a few out, which were destined for a cheesecake. Yes, a good ol' delicious cheesecake. Well, that didn't happen. I was hoping to make a small raspberry cheesecake because I've been craving a cheesecake for months. Yes, months. I know if I make one, self control will go out the window and I'll probably eat it all. Can't lie, it may have been done before. So with dreams of cheesecake shelved for another day, I made muffins instead to avoid serious binging. Not that the muffins aren't binge worthy. Just that I can control myself to eating a muffin and then move on. That being said, I did eat two in a row and not one....eeek. My 14 year old gave these 10/10. Can I just say, that never happens. Not that we're into scoring food around here, but his words actually were, "These are 10/10". I'll take it, happily! So, I have a baking question. Who uses Greek yogurt in baking? Well, if you don't, you have to start. I use it from time to time in muffins and cakes. Why? Because it's adds such a great texture. Moist and light at the same time. It's a great substitute for sour cream in cakes if you are looking to lighten things up a bit. It's all around a great ingredient and one you must give a try. While I'm on the topic of ingredients and what makes a cake or muffin moist, who remembers using mayonnaise in cakes? And for that matter, are you still doing it? I don't know why, but somehow as the years have passed, I've completely forgotten The Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. Okay, on paper, it doesn't sound the best. Some might say, umm disgusting. And I'm not a big fan of mayo at all. If you frequent the blog, it's isn't an ingredient I use often. It's in a few salads and dressings and that's pretty much it. But when I think back to that cake, I remember it being delicious. It was light, moist, high, fluffy...all of the good stuff. It was the prefect chocolate cake. So, I need to try to recreate that cake now that I have it in mind. Mayonnaise isn't the strangest ingredient I've seen used in a cake. I've heard of, but never used, a can of Coca-Cola. I don't quite know if I can sell myself on that one. Not sending shame that those that do, just not sure if I'm willing to try that one out just yet. For now I'm sticking with Greek yogurt and maybe I'll look into the chocolate mayo cake soon. As for the Coca-Cola cake, I'll pass thanks. Notes about the muffins: Don't over bake! That's the absolute best advice I can give for these muffins. When baked at just the right time, they are absolutely deliciously moist and perfect. Use a medium muffin sized tin like stated below. If you use the large sized ones, the muffins will be really flat. Unless you decide to make less muffins. If you do go with large, I would say you will only get eight. I didn't bother chopping the raspberries up for this recipe. However, if you prefer smaller pieces of fruit, roughly chop them before adding to the batter. These are delicious straight out of the oven. They will keep for about two to three days in an airtight container on the counter. And, yes, you can freeze them as well, Make sure it's a freezer friendly bag or container to avoid freezer burn. Happy muffin making friends and use Greek yogurt! Greek Yogurt Raspberry Muffins Makes 12 / Prep time: 10 minutes / Bake time: 15 - 18 minutes Ingredients 11/4 Cups/150 grams of flour 1/2 Cup/100 grams sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 Cup/125 grams butter at room temperature 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 1/2 Cup/120 ml natural yogurt 1 Cup/200 grams fresh raspberries Method Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 12 medium muffins tins. In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and the salt. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes. After the mixture is pale and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time mixing until they are incorporated into the batter. Whisk in the vanilla. Next, add half the flour to the batter and stir in gently. Then add the yogurt and mix in the remaining flour. Once it is all incorporated, and the raspberries and stir to combine. Pour batter into your prepared muffins tins and bake anywhere from 15 - 18 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center and when just a few crumbs come off, it is done. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for just a few minutes. Remove from pan after about 5 minutes and let it cool for a further few minutes. These can be served straight away. Will keep for a few days in an airtight container. Click the downloadable link below to print recipe! ![]()
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2 Comments
Deborah Powell
10/8/2019 04:19:58 am
Carrefour sells bags of frozen raspberries. Very reasonably priced. And if you are going to freeze some anyway...
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Julia
10/12/2019 07:22:20 am
Yes, I've had them before. Thanks Deborah.
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Hello and thanks for stopping by. I'm Julia and I have a passion for wholesome fresh food. Here you can find what's cooking in my Spanish kitchen, with inspiration from my Newfoundland roots!
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