Berry Nice Muffins

“Berry Nice” Muffins – A tri-delight of blueberries, cranberries and strawberries

I call these “berry nice muffins” because they are made up of 3 type of berries – namely blueberries, cranberries and strawberries. That, and also because I find them “berry” delicious hehe :P I usually use raspberries instead of cranberries, but this time round, I decided to try cranberries because I still have a lot of frozen ones which I bought for making cranberry sauce over Christmas. I like it! The sweetness of the muffins contrasted nicely with the tangy taste of the berries, especially the sour cranberries. So if cranberries are too sour for your palate, you can substitute with fresh raspberries (chopped). These muffins are great for clearing the fridge of any leftover berries. And I find them really pretty too, I love using white muffin paper cases so that I can see the beautiful streaks of burst fruity flavour along the side.

I used back the same base recipe for my strawberry muffins. If you notice that these muffins looked much better, that’s because I was previously using a “wrong” set of measurements for the muffins; I didn’t know that the term “cup” was not universal and I used a Japanese cup (1 cup = 200ml) instead of a US cup (1 cup = 240ml). I’m really a noob! :x Hence from now, I’ll be more careful when it comes to baking and use/list down the weighted measurements (grams, ml) for more clarity. Thanks to zy for pointing it out :)

Ingredients
(Makes about 16 small muffins)

– 1 1/2 cups* (190g) plain flour
– 1 1/2 eggs, beaten
– 1/2 tbsp baking powder
– 1 cup (225g) caster sugar
– assorted berries (I use 80g chopped strawberries, 50g frozen cranberries, 50g blueberries)
– 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 65 gms butter, cut to small pieces and melted/softened at room temperature

* Cup refers to US cup measurement

You also need:
– sieve
– large bowl & wooden spoon
– disposable baking cases
– muffin baking tray

Directions
1. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together, and mix well.
2. Add in milk, vanilla extract, eggs and butter and stir until just blended (and lumpy). Be careful not to over mix as it will result in a tough texture.
3. Fold in the berries into the mixture. Place baking cases in muffin tins. Spoon the mixture into the cases (each about 2/3 filled).
4. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven of 200C (400F) or until slightly golden brown. Allow to rest for several minutes before serving. Store for a day in an airtight container. Freeze extras in ziplock bags and toast them for a few minutes in the oven till they are warm.

Afternoon Tea Time

Muffin Batter

Muffin Batter in Muffin Cases

Variations
– Strawberry Muffins
– Cranberries, Pecans & Orange Muffins