Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe is adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert. It’s originally a raspberry chocolate chunk muffin recipe, and while I concede that chocolate chunks would elevate the dish, I took the easiest route and used chocolate chips. I also used white whole wheat flour instead of the mixture of flours and really liked the results. Note that it’s important for the raspberries to be frozen when you add them to the batter, to prevent them from overcooking. If you have fresh raspberries, you can freeze them on a baking sheet before using them in the recipe. Take them out of the freezer only right before using them. These muffins are really wonderful, and they freeze well. Because of the fruit in them, I actually recommend freezing them if you’re not going to eat all of them within two days or so (to rewarm, 30 seconds in the microwave does the trick).

1 ½ cups (6.75 oz.) all-purpose flour
½ cup (2.25 oz.) whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
scant 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup lactose-free milk
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, melted and still warm
5 to 6 oz. frozen raspberries
4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into little chunks, or 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Whisk in the milk and butter. Pour the wet mixture over the flour mixture and fold gently until all of the dry ingredients are moistened but the batter is still very lumpy and uneven. Dump the frozen berries and the chocolate into the bowl and fold just until they are distributed throughout the batter. (Do not try to create a smooth, homogenous batter, or your muffins will be tough.)

Divide the batter among the muffin cups (I like using an ice cream scoop for this). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cakey part of a muffin emerges free of batter (other than a little melted chocolate or raspberries), 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature.