White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
Soft, buttery, vanilla-scented muffins packed with tart, juicy raspberries and milky white chocolate, with a crunchy lid. The batter is hand-mixed with plain milk, and they stay fresh for 3 days.
These muffins start from the magic batter of soft apple muffins: the juice of the raspberries keeps the crumb soft and moist, with no buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream or electric beater needed. A blast of high heat at the start of baking gives them tall domes and a crunchy top.
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C; 200°C fan-forced). The extra heat gives the muffins a boost of rise at the start; we will turn it down as soon as the muffins go in.
- 2
Muffin tin: line a standard 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- 3
Whisk the dry ingredients: put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- 4
Wet ingredients: melt the butter in the microwave in a heatproof bowl. Whisk in the sugar first, then add the egg, milk, vanilla and vinegar and whisk until smooth.
- 5
Combine: pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just 10 times, or until the flour is just about mixed in. Add the raspberries and white chocolate and gently fold through, just to disperse them. Stir as little as possible, as raspberries crush easily (some will, it is inevitable!). The batter will still be lumpy, which is fine; if you overmix, the muffins will be hard.
- 6
Divide the batter between the muffin holes, filling them all the way to the top. There is no need to level the surface (it levels out in the oven).
- 7
Bake: place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 390°F (200°C; 180°C fan-forced). Bake for 22-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
23 min
- 8
Cool: rest in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool for a further 20 minutes before enjoying. The muffins are quite fragile when hot, so they need to cool.
30 min
Ago's Notes
- Other berries: blackberries and mulberries also work, as they are just as juicy. For blueberries, it is better to use a dedicated blueberry muffin recipe.
- Butter: 125 g is not exactly 1/2 cup (that would be about 115 g), but it is convenient, as it equals 1 US stick of butter; the small difference does not affect the muffins.
- Gluten-free: swap the flour for gluten-free flour and follow the recipe as written. The muffins rise just as much, though they brown a little less; the crumb stays soft and moist.
- Baking soda: it can be replaced with an extra 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder, leaving the vinegar out. The crumb is slightly less soft, but the muffins still rise nicely.
- Storing: once fully cool, the muffins keep fresh in an airtight container for 3 days (in the fridge if it is hot or humid). If they go a little stale, warm them lightly. The crunchy lid softens overnight. Not suitable for freezing.
I love how the initial blast of heat gives these muffins their tall, crunchy-topped domes, and how forgiving a hand-mixed batter is. It is a far more relaxed, quick-mix approach than the careful precision of an Italian pastry shop, closer to an American tea-time treat than a dolce da forno, but the result is just as satisfying. The tartness of the raspberries cuts right through the sweet white chocolate, so every bite tastes bright rather than heavy.
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