Blueberry Muffins with Raspberry Swirls.

Soft and fluffy muffins bursting with juicy blueberries and a sweet raspberry jam swirl!

It’s July and blueberries are in season! What better way to use them up than in some homemade muffins? You can actually use frozen blueberries, too, so don’t worry–this is  a recipe you will want to keep handy year-round.

These muffins are incredibly soft, mostly due to using actual butter. This sweet treat is not the healthiest, but it is a great recipe to use if you want to impress your friends at a brunch! If you’re watching your waistline, I do have many lighter and healthier muffin recipes on the blog, such as these skinny blueberry banana muffins, banana chocolate fudge muffins, and peanut butter banana chocolate chip muffins.

Don’t you just love that little bit of raspberry jam peaking through the tops of the muffins? Let’s talk about how to achieve this. There are 2 methods, and you’ll have to decide which one to use based on what you want your final muffin to look like.

Option #1: Mix the batter and gently fold in the jam into all the batter at one time. This will give you a very subtle swirl because the jam gets distributed evenly into the batter. See my pictures? That’s the method I used this time. It’s very subtle.

Option #2: Mix the batter together except for the jam. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Add about a teaspoon of jam right on top of each muffin cup, then gently swirl it into the batter using a toothpick or a knife. Next time, I’ll be using this method so the swirls (and raspberry flavor) are more pronounced.

Either method will work, it just depends on what you want your final muffin to be like!

Want to know what’s awesome about these muffins? You can whip these up quickly, and you’ll only dirty one bowl. That’s always a win in my book. One bowl baking = less dishes to wash!

Blueberry Muffins with Raspberry Swirls

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar + 1 tbsp sugar for dusting (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (white whole wheat could be substituted)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen (if frozen do not thaw)
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam (bonne maman is my favorite!)

1). Preheat the oven to 350F and line a regular sized muffin pan with paper liners.

2). Cream the butter and 1 cup sugar together in a large bowl (or stand mixer) on medium-high to high until light, fluffy, and well-blended, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again.

3). Gently add the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing just until combined. Using a spatula, gently fold in the blueberries by hand.

3). Now, either: add all the raspberry jam at once and gently fold into the batter, or evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cups and add 1 teaspoon of jam on top, then swirl. See my in-depth explanation in the post for more information.

4). Sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top of the muffins (optional–this just gives it a crunchy top) and bake for about 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean. All ovens are different so it is possible yours may need more/less time.

5). Allow the muffins to cool about 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.

Servings: about 14 muffins. Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 222 Carbs: 35g Fat: 8g Protein: 3g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 20g Points+: 6

Recipe adapted from: http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/08/blueberry-muffins-with-raspberry-jam-swirls.html 

Skinny Blueberry Banana Muffins

Schools are out and summer is officially here! One of my favorite aspects of summer is all the fresh produce in the grocery store/farmer’s markets, including blueberries! Fresh blueberries are they key to making these muffins great (but frozen blueberries work too…they’re just not as tasty!). Did I mention I can get my husband to eat any fruit if I put it in muffin form? It’s true. Blueberries and bananas would never be tasted, unless baked in muffin or bread form. I used only white whole wheat flour in the batter to add nutrients and give these muffins staying power. They are surprisingly filling!! Each one is around 111 calories and can definitely tie you over until lunch, or be a sweet afternoon snack. I personally enjoyed them on our screen porch with a cup of coffee. Lovely!

I usually use applesauce as a substitute for oil or butter, but these muffins called for yogurt. Greek yogurt or regular yogurt both work perfectly. Substituting yogurt is a great trick to keep in mind for future baking! It keeps baked goods moist and adds protein without adding fat.

The next time you buy blueberries at the store, save some to make these muffins. They are fantastic!

Skinny Blueberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 2 large very ripe bananas)
• 1/4 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt (or any yogurt)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup skim milk (almond milk, soy milk, rice milk)
• 1 and 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1). Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin tins with foil liners or spray pan with cooking spray (paper liners will stick!).

2). In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.

3). In a medium bowl, mash the bananas until no longer lumpy. Add honey and mix. Add yogurt, egg, vanilla exctract, and brown sugar. Mix until well combined.

4). Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold them all together (it will be very thick!). Slowly add the milk while mixing the batter to thin it out some. Gently fold in the blueberries. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

5). Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full and bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Oven times will vary so keep an eye on them! Transfer them to a wire rack and allow muffins to cool before serving.

Servings: 16.

Nutritional Information per Muffin: Calories: 111 Carbs: 25g Fat: 1g Protein: 3g Sugar: 14g Fiber: 2g

WW PointsPlus: 3 Old Points: 2

Recipe adapted from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/17/skinny-banana-blueberry-muffins/