An Inspired Cook

When November arrives, so does my sweet tooth.  I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the colder weather and wanting an excuse to stay in the kitchen and bake.  The warmth of the oven calls me to the kitchen and keeps me sane during the long winter month’s.  So when I saw the “One Day Sale” for raspberries I ran to the store and stocked up and came home to bake some muffins.  I had an old recipe that I had saved from Cooking Light that  I had always wanted to try.  The recipe definitely is a keeper and I added a lemon glaze because I love the combo of raspberries and lemon.  Whether you like a muffin with your morning coffee or as a dessert this raspberry muffin will definitely satisfy any sweet cravings.

You’ll need cream cheese, butter, 1 egg plus 2 egg whites, vanilla, flour, baking powder baking soda, salt, buttermilk, and the all important fresh raspberries.

Using a mixer, blend together the cream cheese and softened butter together.

Add sugar (a little bit at a time) to the cream cheese butter mix and beat until creamy.

Something like this.

Time to add the vanilla extract, 1 egg plus 2 egg whites.

Mix together your dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the mix to make a batter.

Once you have your batter, gently fold in the raspberries.

Fill your muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees 25 – 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let them cool for 15 minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, time to make the glaze that will make the muffins even tastier.  It’s a simple glaze including powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and a bit of melted butter.

Start by sifting 2 cups of powdered sugar.

Add the lemon juice and zest.

And finally the melted butter.

Start whisking everything together.

Pretty soon it turns into this lemony sweet glaze.

These are best when you drizzle some glaze over a warm muffin and let the glaze melt and puddle on your plate.





Raspberry Muffins with Lemon Glaze (adapted from Cooking Light June/2003)

2/3 cup Cream Cheese, I used  (1/3 less fat Neufchatel Cheese)
1/3 cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 large Egg Whites
1 large Egg
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 (1/2 pint cartons) fresh Raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Using a mixer, beat at high speed until creamy.  Add sugar, beat until fluffy.  Add vanilla extract, 1 egg plus 2 egg whites and beat well.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  While mixer is on low, alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk beating until mixture becomes batter like.  Gently fold in the fresh raspberries.  Fill cupcake tins almost to the top and bake 25 – 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from pan and let cool.  Drizzle lemon glaze over top of muffins.

Lemon Glaze

2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 tablespoon Butter, melted

Sift 2 cups powdered sugar.   Add lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter.  Whisk until mixture becomes a creamy thick glaze.