Berry Muffins

Raspberries and strawberries are my sons' favorite fruits so we eat a lot of them and they're always well stocked in our fridge.  Today I had about one cup of raspberries I needed to use because this week my sons actually aren't into them and I figured they'd eat them in muffin form.  They're in that picky stage of toddlerhood so every meal and every snack is a question of whether they'll eat it or not.  But they like their carbs and if it has flour and sugar they're down for it.  But sometimes we need to make carbs and treats healthier.  Berries are in season and it's always fun in the summer to bake with fresh fruit.  I also added a half cup of lemon pudding to the muffins to give it a little citrus flavor.  I found a recipe online here and adapted it to my liking because sometimes its fun to experiment a little.  The muffins turned out dense and hearty, but soft because of the yogurt and lemon pudding in the mixture.  I didn't add any topping to my muffins, so they look more rustic and homemade, but that's okay, too.  I like the way the berries baked so they're all sweet and gooey in the muffins.  They'll be yummy tomorrow for breakfast! 

Berry Muffins

1 3/4 c. flour

1 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

3 eggs

1 1/4 t. vanilla

1/2 c. vanilla yogurt

1/2 c. lemon pudding (I just used pudding from a snack cup, using ingredients you have in your fridge at the time makes it more fun)

1 c. fresh raspberries

1 c. fresh strawberries, chopped into pieces

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin tin by either using a non-stick one or use liners.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into bowl and stir together.  In another bowl, add eggs, vanilla, yogurt and pudding.  Blend together.  Add wet mixture to the dry mixture and carefully stir together as not to over mix.  Then fold in the berries into the mixture and gently stir.  Fill each muffin liner about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Check with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, they're done.  Yield: 12 muffins.

Enjoy the last bit of summer and enjoy the fruits that are in season!