Raspberry Lemon Muffins

Oh my, I have been so excited to share this recipe with you---You are going to LOVE these muffins!  They are absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious!  I like to pull this recipe out for special occasions this time of year.  They are so good that people will think you must have picked them up at some fancy bakery:)  The sweet raspberries and the tangy lemon glaze are like Springtime in your mouth!   I think that these muffins would be the perfect addition to, or even a reason to have, a weekend brunch!  Speaking of favorite Springtime recipes I wanted to tell you about a great opportunity to not only find some new recipes but to help children in need and all you need to do is go to the Frigidaire site.

When you check out Suzanne Goin's springtime recipes at www.maketimeforchange.com, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children's U.S. programs. Plus, you'll be entered for a chance to win the new Frigidaire Range with Symmetry™ Double Ovens– featuring two large ovens (that can each fit up to a 28 pound turkey!), providing the flexibility to cook multiple dishes at the same time at different temperatures, so you can get more on the table at the same time.  Pretty great, huh?!

This post was sponsored by Frigidaire but all the opinions are my own!
Happy Spring everyone!  Enjoy!

Raspberry Lemon Muffins
submitted by Melanie~The Sisters

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk (or you can substitute milk)
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tsp grated lemon peel

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, softened

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg, melted butter, and buttermilk.  Stir just until all ingredients are combined.  Gently stir in the raspberries and 1 tsp lemon peel.  Fill 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups 3/4 full.  Set aside.  Combine, brown sugar, 1/4 flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp lemon peel.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or use your fingers until crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture over muffins.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Cool for 20 minutes and glaze with mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice.

Recipe Source:  slightly adapted from a recipe my friend Starlie gave me.

Welcome Berry Season!

It's that time of year again!



Berries, berries, berries!  Yum!  Have you noticed that all the berries are on sale lately?  Take advantage of the berry season to have some fun with your family. See if there are any U-Pick farms in your area. Here is one online resource I have discovered:   pickyourown.org I live in Michigan where there are lots of places to choose from. I've gone berry picking with friends (with and without our kids), with my husband for a fun and different date, with visitors from out of town, and of course with the whole family.  We've mostly done blueberry and raspberry picking, but I'd love to discover a blackberry patch around here.  As for strawberries, I have a little patch in my backyard that is more productive that you would think. I picked these strawberries in the picture this morning while I was out watering the garden.

There are so many things to do with berries during their on-season.   First of all, after coming home with your fresh berries, you must enjoy them with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of sugar.  It's pure Lusciousness.  And the kids find this tradition especially exciting! :)

Try some recipes that spotlight fresh berries in their full sun-ripened glory!  For all our berry recipes, search under the Recipe Archives Tab under the Berries category. (PS. This index will be revamped very soon for easier use.)

Try the Fruit Pizza that Amy posted last week:

Patriotic Berries and Cream Trifle:


White Chocolate Mousse Tartlettes:


Strawberry, Pinenut and Feta Salad:


...to name a few...
And of course, don't forget the classic: Homemade Freezer Jam!



I always make homemade strawberry freezer jam every Spring.  This year I also made blackberry freezer jam for the first time.  After trying some of my friend, Jenny Balmforth's, homemade blackberry jam at her house, I just had to make some of my own. It was heavenly!  If you're buying your berries at the grocery store, wait for the 10 for $10 sales, where you can buy a 6-oz container of raspberries, or a similar size of blackberries, or a 1 lb container of strawberries for $1 each. (And you don't have to buy ten of them to get that price, fyi.)  That's as good of a deal as you will find at the local grocery store.  I prefer to use the regular pectin that comes in a box for homemade freezer jam. It's a ratio of about 3 cups of crushed berries and 5 cups of sugar. (I confess that I don't really like the lower-sugar pectin varieties.) I follow the Quick & Easy Freezer Jam recipe, which entails crushing the berries, mixing in sugar, combining the powder pectin and some water on the stove, and then mixing it all together for three minutes. It is SO easy.  I can't wait to share Jenny's half-white, half-wheat homemade rolls. When I had her homemade blackberry jam on one of the warm rolls, it was pure heaven. I'll be posting those soon, so stick around!

Wonderful Fruit Pizza

My friend Heather made these for a baby shower for another friend of ours. I couldn't stop eating them! I love fruit pizza and this version is great!   "I need this recipe." I told her. She just smiled and said, "I know. They're my favorite." Something about the buttery crust, cream cheese frosting, and fruit just makes these hard to stop eating! I love that you can add basically whatever fruit you have in the fridgetoo. Strawberries and kiwi are definitely my favorites but the possibilities are endless!

Wonderful Fruit Pizza

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe

Crust:
1 c. sugar
1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda

Frosting:
11 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Sliced fruit for topping-strawberries, kiwi, banana, mandarin oranges, peaches, berries, etc.

Cream sugar, butter and eggs together. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add to sugar/butter mixture and mix to form soft dough. Spread on a greased jelly roll pan. (I just used a regular cookie sheet, and worked the dough with my floured hands to evenly spread dough-worked great) Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Mix together icing ingredients and spread on cooled crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, cut into bars. Place desired cut fruit on each square and serve!

Fruit Soup

I'm reposting one of Melanie's recipes that I've posted before, in November of 2008. That is just way too long ago. This amazing recipe deserves a second showing. I make this fruit soup all the time for baby showers and birthday luncheons. It is the epitome of chick food. Every time I bring it to a party it gets rave reviews. It's a sweet 'soup' made from tapioca and juice and brimming with cold refreshing fruit and berries. It is to die for! I love making it; it's unique and fun, and YUMMY. (Plus it's incredibly easy- Always a bonus when you are preparing lots of food for a party. Remember to start it the night before - see the recipe.)
Enjoy!

Fruit Soup
submitted by Erin ~ http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com
printable recipe

¾ c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. peach juice (or another cup of water, which is what I always do instead)
3 Tb tapioca (be sure to use the “minute brand” quick cooking tapioca!)
6 oz orange juice concentrate
1 ½ c. water
2 cans mandarin oranges (with or without juice)
1 quart sliced peaches - (you can use 1 large can of peach slices, but I would not add the heavy syrup – I always try to use Lite peaches that have been bottled with pear juice and water, in which case I add the juice. Also, cut up the slices so they are bite-size.)
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced, just before serving
2 bananas, just before serving
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed but still cool and firm (or an equivalent amount of fresh) or other berry mix (raspberries give the juice a red tint, without raspberries it is an orange color. I almost always use a tri-berry mix which includes raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.)

Bring sugar, water, peach juice and tapioca to a boil. Continue boiling on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Some tapioca will be clear and other granules will have a white center. Take off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes. (This is when the tapioca will become more clear.)
Add 6 oz orange juice concentrate and 1 ½ c. water. Chill overnight.
Add mandarin oranges and peaches. Before serving add strawberries, bananas, and raspberries.

Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding with Vanilla Cream Sauce

Kneaders is a great bakery, cafe in Utah. Is it nationwide?? I am not sure. Anyway, they are famous around here for their baked goods, soups and desserts. Everything that I have ever had from Kneaders is wonderful. I got this recipe from my friend Sheri. I am not sure if it is the REAL Kneaders recipe--but it was fantastic! My hubby requested it this year for his birthday, instead of cake. Mmmmm--
**Tips** I did not use cream--that just seemed to rich for my tastes. I used half and half whenever it said cream in the recipe. I baked this in my Le Cresuet 9x13 deep dish baker. I had to keep it in the oven an extra 20 minutes. Next time I will use my roasting pan, it is bigger than a 9x13.

Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding
submitted by Melanie

Cream Mix

1 1/2 loaves aged, white bread

1 quart heavy cream

3 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

In large bowl combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Cut bread into 1 1/2" cubes and add to cream mixture, coating bread well. Let stand 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes to allow cream to absorb completely.

Fruit Filling
5 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

Combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Layer a 9x13 dark baking dish 3/4 full with bread mixture, pour fruit filling over bread mixture, spreading evenly, top with remaining bread. Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm. Top with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
1 1/3 cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

Over medium heat melt butter, and add flour stir 10 minutes until it has a nutty aroma, do not brown. Add cream and sugar and boil till mixture is thick, remove from heat adding vanilla. Serve this wonderful sauce cold.

Country Cake with Lemon Curd, Cream and Berries

I had some friends over for a Ladies Luncheon to celebrate a birthday. (the chicken salad post was from the same day) It was very fun--I need to do it more often! This was the dessert we had--it turned out very pretty and delicious! I used the cake recipe from my Barefoot Contessa 'Parties' cookbook. I also made Lemon Curd for the first time! I LOVED it! I have been eating it with yogurt and fruit, stirred into my oatmeal, on toast, scones, pancakes...the list goes on! It is very tangy--so a little goes a long way! This time I folded it into whipped cream and topped it with berries. My cake never raised in the center as it baked. It turned out fine--because it ended up making a perfect little indention for the cream and berries. Next time I think I will try to add a few extra tablespoons of flour, (since I live at high altitude) and see if that helps. This cake recipe makes two cakes--I froze one to use later.

Country Cake with Lemon Curd, Cream and Berries
For the cake:
*bring everything to room temperature first
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour two 8 in cake pans.

Cream butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth. Pour batter evenly into pans, smooth the tops with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature.

Lemon Curd Cream
1 cup of whipping cream, chilled
3 tablespoons sugar or powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons of Lemon Curd *Recipe here
I made the lemon curd the night before so it was nice and chilled in the fridge. Then I whipped the cream, with the sugar and vanilla using my hand mixer until it was firm. I then folded in carefully 1-2 big spoonfuls of the lemon curd.

To Assemble:
Top one cake with the lemon cream and then with washed and dry fresh berries. I used strawberries and blackberries. Raspberries and blueberries would be great too!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins with a Sweet Berry Drizzle (adapted from Better Homes and Garden Nov. 1997)

Just in time for Valentines! These are pretty and festive, and oh-so-good! I have had a hard time finding a berry muffin that I really loved, so I was happy to discover this recipe. They are delicious without the drizzle as well.
- Erin

Ingredients

• 2 rounded cups of frozen raspberries


• 3-4 Tablespoons sugar


• 1 stick softened butter


• 8 oz softened cream cheese


• 1 cup sugar


• 1 Tablespoon orange zest


• 2 eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 c. all purpose flour


• ¾ c. whole wheat flour


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• ½ teaspoon baking soda


• 1/8 teaspoon salt


• 1/3 c. 2% milk (or cream)


• Heaping ¼ c. powdered sugar


• 1 teaspoon milk

The Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place raspberries and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine so that berries are coated in sugar. Set aside.


2. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar and orange zest until well combined. Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.


3. Combine the flour, wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. With mixer on low, add half the flour, then half milk, then remaining flour, then remaining milk until just combined.


4. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and fill with muffin batter, about ¾ full. Press 4 berries into tops of each unbaked muffin. Reserve any berry juice in bowl for drizzle. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Remove and let cool.


5. In the same bowl as berries were in, place powdered sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth and drizzling consistency; should be a pink color from the berry juice. Drizzle over top muffins and enjoy!