Wow, this pregnancy was a rough one for me in regards to wanting to do anything in the kitchen. Just the mere thought of doing any sort of cooking or baking made my stomach turn. I would do it because well, my family had to eat. But it wasn't the wonderful, enjoyable hobby that I have had my whole life. And unfortunately for that my blog posts suffered as well. I am sorry and hope that you will all welcome me back with open arms!
Now that our sweet Aaron is here, my aversion to all things "kitchen" are finally gone! Halleluiah! Last week as a part of International Babywearing Week we went to Rosby's Berry Farm and picked the most beautiful raspberry's!
The harvest was bountiful and the berries sugary sweet. I picked three quarts of them! So today I celebrate with Raspberry Almond Brown Sugar Muffins. These muffins are so amazing. Seriously, they have the best of everything- sweet-tart raspberries and the crunch of the almonds and brown sugar topping make for the most perfect muffin. Being a nursing mom made it totally acceptable to have two this morning right?!
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shaved almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease or line with paper baking cups (makes 12-18 muffins).
In a large bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, almonds, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the egg and brown sugar together until thick. Beat in the butter, milk and vanilla extract. Combine the two mixtures, blending until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Gently stir in raspberries.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Sprinkle the Streusel Topping (recipe follows) over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick come out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5-7 minutes. Serve warm, or transfer to the rack to cool completely.
For the Streusel Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Alternately you can mash the ingredients with a fork. Sprinkle over muffins immediately before baking.
Streusel Topping recipe courtesy about.com