Raspberry Almond Muffins (Vegan)

Muffins should be a requirement in everyday life.

Fresh, slightly sweet and slightly tart raspberries.

The crunch of almond.

Heartiness (and a pretty blue color!) from rye flour.

Overall, a pretty delicious breakfast (or snack. or lunch. or dinner. Can I eat these always?)

Raspberry Almond Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour (optional: can replace with whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2cup sugar or splenda
• 1t baking power
• 1t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 1/2cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4cup + 2T unsweetened soy/almond milk
• 1t lemon juice
• 1/2t vanilla extract
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
• 1/3cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Meanwhile, combine flours, sugar/splenda, baking power, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, soy milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix with a spoon until the dry ingredients are half-moistened; at this point, add the raspberries. Mix just until there aren't dry spots left (lumps still may be present). Over-mixing can cause tough muffins (yay gluten formation!)
4. Divide batter evenly among 12 normal-sized muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups. Evenly divide almonds among the tops of the muffins, pushing down gently to adhere them to the batter.
5. Cook in oven for 15-18 minutes (normal-sized) or 20-25 minutes (jumbo) at 375F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool; remove from pan and serve for up to five days.

Nutrition Information (using Sugar):
Sodium: 208mg
Total Fat: 7g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 19g
Calories:227

Nutrition Information (using Splenda):
Sodium: 208mg
Total Fat: 7g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 2g
Calories:163

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Some of us don't like pink.

I don't have anything against pink; not at all. But I have trouble really enjoying it and valuing it as a color. Does that even make sense? I think it's because I've been exposed to so much pink propaganda growing up with the hegemonic female ideal of "pink this, pink that, pink everything."  And, of course, around V-day (which I also don't have anything against, but enjoy mocking nonetheless) it always becomes an issue. Store shelves filled to the brink with pink and red! The idea that you must be consumerist if you want to show love towards those you cherish! Capitalism! Marketing!

So, yes. Around this time of the year, pink doesn't always jive well with me.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut (really emphasize the length here in your mind)....

...these decadent, flavorful muffins can definitely make getting some pink into the day a lot easier!

They start out with a rich and sweet cream cheese base, which ensures a perfect texture and almost fluffy end result. Fresh raspberries are folded in at the end (they were on sale at my grocery store! yes!!), making each bite bright and flavorful. Two adjectives which clearly I need more of, because I am a huge cynic and should probably appreciate all the chocolate on the shelves more. 

Have some Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins with a cup of tea to beat any morning blues!

P.S.

Happy V-Day week! If it's something you celebrate, I hope it's great. For everyone else-- happy Tuesday! 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light

Makes 12        

• 1/4c. light vanilla soy milk
• 1/4tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3c. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 3tbl light margarine, room temperature
• 3/4c. splenda OR sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4tsp vanilla
• 1tbl canola oil
• 1/2c. all purpose flour, plus 1tbl
• 1/2c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/8tsp baking soda
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1c. fresh raspberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy milk and cider vinegar. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. It will curdle slightly-- you are basically making dairy-free buttermilk.
3. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and margarine in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until very creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add splenda/sugar; beat until fluffy. With the mixer still running, add vanilla, egg, and oil. Beat well.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and soy milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it in 2 batches). Mix until just moist, and then put away the mixer.
5. In a small bowl, coat the fresh raspberries with 1tbl flour (this helps them from bleeding into the mix and from sinking to the bottom of the muffin). Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently fold them into the muffin batter. 
6. Cook at 350° for 17-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Nutritional Information (with Sugar)
Sodium: 104mg
Total Fat: 4g
       Saturated:  1g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 26g
Calories: 183


Nutritional Information (with Splenda)
Sodium: 104mg
Total Fat: 4g
       Saturated:  1g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 1g
Calories: 87 
 

Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins

I once heard someone call muffins "cupcakes without frosting." I wanted to flag them down, jump in front of them with all of my muffin recipes and beg them to reconsider. It's true that many store-bought muffins are, indeed, basically cupcakes being sold as a breakfast food. The amount of sugar in some of those things will make most nutritionists and healthy foodies shudder. But I firmly believe that muffins don't have to be like cupcakes. We need to let muffins be the cool cousin of the cupcake, the one who you can meet with all the time and who listens to your problems and consoles you.

Ok, maybe not that far. But you get my point, right? We can allow muffins to come back into the spotlight as something that can give you health benefits, something that is acceptable as a breakfast food. This involves reducing the sugar and the oil, using more fruit to add sweetness instead of relying on chocolate. It's an easy switch.

I'm not saying to never eat cupcake-muffins. Cupcake-muffins taste good. But muffins, just muffins, also taste good. Really good. Actually, I personally think they taste better. Especially when they're packed with oats and raspberries and blueberries, sweetened with a touch of sugar and undertones of vanilla. It makes it easier to have a healthy lifestyle with these guys every day than with cupcake-muffins every day. Because if I have to choose between "not-so-healthy+tastes good" versus "healthy+tastes-AHmazing," I think we all know what I end up eating.

Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 servings

Quick tip: If you are using frozen blueberries when baking, toss them with about one tablespoon of flour before mixing them into the batter. This stops them from leaking blue into the rest of the muffin.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4c. oats (quick cooking)
• 1/2c. all-purpose flour (Plus 1 tbl)
• 1/2c. whole-wheat flour
• 1/3c. sugar OR Splenda
• 1/4c. brown sugar, unpacked
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1c. light soymilk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3c. frozen wild blueberries (use only 1/3 cup if they are not wild -which means small-) rinsed and drained
• 2/3c. fresh raspberries, cut in half
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix together the oats, flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, milk, and vanilla. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir together just until moist (over-mixing can cause unpleasant texture).
5. Mix the frozen blueberries with 1 tbl. flour until they are coated. Add in raspberries. Fold berries gently into the batter, making sure they are evenly distributed
6. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full with batter (Tip: I like to use a ice cream scooper to fill mine. Just spray the scooper with cooking spray before hand, and the batter will slide out easily).
7. Place the muffins in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes: this changes depending on where you live (I’m high elevation, so my baking times usually take longer); just make sure to keep an eye on them! (Tip: To test if they are done, either stick a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean, or touch the top of the muffin and if it springs back it is ready). 

Nutrition Facts (using sugar):
Sodium: 227mg
Total Fat: 2g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 160

Raspberry-Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

There's something beautiful about the combination of raspberry and lemon. Is it the colors? I've always been a fan of bright colors but that can't be the only reason because I refuse to wear yellow. Of course, I'm sure there are other reasons. Most obviously, taste. I remember, as a kid (heck, who am I kidding: even today) I loved loved loved raspberry lemonade. I also loved cake.

Like, a lot.

My dad would make such cool cakes for my brother's and my birthdays. It was seriously the best. He made a barbie cake, and a Jurassic Park one, along with a few that involved the Disney princesses and Titanic. This is from a guy who had no cake decorating experience. I think he probably spent hours on those things, just because we asked for them. I bet there a pictures floating around in our photo albums (because yes, we are old and don't have everything on the Cloud, or whatever it's called).

Anyways. I figured raspberry+lemon+cake, and then covered with a creamy frosting that adds just enough sweetness to balance the tang of the raspberry and lemon, would be awesome.

It was awesome.

You should make it.

And then eat it (because trust me, you'll want to just stare at it for a while because it's so beautiful but BE STRONG, eat the cake).

Because P.S:
There's chocolate!

Raspberry-Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 12                    Serving Size: 1 slice 

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1c. light vanilla soymilk
• 1tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1c. all-purpose flour
• 1c. whole wheat flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2c. splenda or other calorie-free sweetener
• 2tbl olive oil
• 1/4c. plus 2tbl applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 1 large lemon, zest and juice
• 2c. raspberries, fresh, washed and dried

Frosting:

• 8oz low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1tsp vanilla extract
•  1/4c. brown sugar
• 1/2c.sugar OR splenda
• 2tbl mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Meanwhile, combine soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl; set aside for at least ten minutes (it should get a bit foamy).
3. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat the splenda, oil, and applesauce together with an electric mixer for 1 minute, or until well-combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each egg added. Add the flour mixture and the soymilk mixture alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the zest and juice of the lemon.
5. Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with flour-added cooking spray, line the bottoms with wax paper (great how-to instructions here), and then spray with more cooking spray. Pour the batter into the [ans, and sharply tap each one once to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 350F for 32 minutes, or until cooked through. Cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack; then carefully invert the pans onto the rack so the cakes can cool out of the pans for another hour. Make sure to remove the wax paper!
6. To make icing, combine cream cheese, vanilla, brown sugar, and sugar; beat on high until fluffy and light (about 5 minutes).
7. To make the actual cake, place one of the cakes on a serving platter. Frost with about 1/3 of the frosting, and place 1c. of raspberries on top. Make dots of frosting on top of the raspberries, until only 1/2 of the frosting remains. Top with the other half of the cake, and frost that as well (it helps to make a huge pile of frosting in the middle and then spread it out gently to the edges). Top with remaining raspberries, and chocolate chips. 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 267mg
Fat:8g
      Saturated: 3g
      Mono: 3g
      Trans:0g
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 6g
Calories: 196