Muffins evoke a sense of warmth in me, they are like warm comfort food that perks me up on a sleepy morning and provides that touch of sweetness that makes me a little happier. Though I love muffins, I can be pretty picky about the muffins I eat. It's tough to find good muffins that are readily available here. The most readily available muffin that is acceptable for me comes from Starbucks. I love the Chocolate Hazelnut Muffin, the Blueberry Muffin and the Banana Walnut Muffin. I love how crisp the tops are and how soft and fluffy the insides are, especially when they are warmed up. Other muffin variations, like the dense and buttery ones, I don't quite like. I normally take the first bite and will decide not to finish it if it's not to my taste.
As a result, I prefer to make my own muffins. I'm very particular about the muffin's texture, and it shouldn't have an overly buttery taste. I like them soft, fluffy, light and suitable for breakfast :).
I've tried making muffins using two methods - first with the dry vs wet mixture method, the second with the creaming of butter method. Personally, I prefer the former, as it yields softer muffins that I prefer. Also, I tend to prefer muffins made with vegetable oil instead of butter. Weird, I know. But that's cos I'm not a big fan of butter in the first place...haha.
Filled muffin cups before going into the oven
These Raspberry Dark Chocolate Muffins originated from Chelle's post some time ago. I've been wanting to make them but was distracted by the multiple batches of macarons and cakes that I've been churning out. The recipe uses the muffin method of mixing the dry ingredients together and the wet ingredients together, before combining them to form a batter. However, be careful not to overmix the batter as I've learnt from experience that overmixing yields tougher, denser muffins. It's okay to have little flecks of flour scattered in your batter! It's better than having a batch of tough muffins for sure!
Digging in!
These smelt really really good when they were coming out of the oven. The faint smell of raspberries and the buttery fragrance filled my entire kitchen. I can't wait but dug straight into one right away!
Clockwise from top left: Muffins fresh out from the oven, digging in, last bite, half left!
It took just four bites for me to polish off a muffin...haha. Not that I'm super greedy but these aren't that huge actually :P. I love the combination of raspberries and dark chocolate in these muffins. However, I do find them a tad buttery, though I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem with butter lovers. I might just replace it with oil the next time I make them again.
Otherwise, these were a lovely treat! Anything with raspberries and dark chocolate together makes it worth having! Yummm :).
The colours and the berry and chocolate combination are so "sweet". I like your photos :D
ReplyDeleteThe muffins look so colourful and it's a great combo. Enjoying your clicks, can't help salivating!
ReplyDeleteNice photos! I prefer the dry vs wet method also, because it's so simple and yield a better texture.
ReplyDeleteNice muffins!!
ReplyDelete@Zoe: thanks! Pink and brown makes me favourite colour combination...haha :).
ReplyDelete@Cheah: Thanks for your sweet comments!
@Min: Yeah, it does right? Fluffy muffins makes it easier on the palate :).
@Hanushi: Thank you!
THats some very nice pictures u have there! and beautiful muffins too!
ReplyDeletehey allie,
ReplyDeletethese muffins look fabulous! raspberries and dark choc made a very good pair indeed. I love muffins that are fluffy and soft and I suspect most muffins sold outside are done by the creamed method due to the finer crumbs.
I started making muffins the using the dry and wet method and the muffins became kind of dense when cooled. Ever since then, I hardly ever made muffins. Maybe I should try making muffins again and search for good recipes that yield soft muffins even when they are cold.
I can see that there's some changes to your photo arrangement in your blog posts. great effort on that!
Your muffins look very pretty! I'm sure that they taste great too!
ReplyDelete@crustabakes: thank you!
ReplyDelete@Bakertan: Hmmmm i do get dense muffins sometimes after cooling. But certain recipes I use seem to be able to get around that. They're as good as fresh after some heating in the microwave!
@Piggy: Thank you! You're so sweet :)
These look so amazing!! Love them :)
ReplyDeleteCan u throw some over???
ReplyDeleteI am in need of some comfort food now! ^_^
@Dimah: Thank you! :)
ReplyDelete@Cherie: Haha...sure hope you do soon! :)