emmakitchen Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Sorry if I’ve been MIA, life has been a bit crazy. I graduate this year (!!!), so I’ve been spending all my time planning my grad party, finding a senior photographer, and, of course, doing schoolwork (when I remember it 😉 ). However, no matter how bad my case of senioritis gets, I could never pass up the chance to bring you a fun holiday recipe! Today is all about these Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins.
Their crackly sugar topping and lofty domed appearance ensures that these treats rival those of gourmet coffee shops, and the combination of dark chocolate & juicy raspberry is just heavenly. This recipe also utilizes special techniques to create a dense, cake-like crumb that’s sinfully indulgent. Bottom line, you have to make these. So, let’s get to it!
inspiration for bakery-style raspberry chocolate muffins
I decided to make & post this recipe today because these muffins are the most perfect Valentine’s Day treat! Although my Best Chocolate Chip Muffins will always be, well, the best, these are a close second: they’re large, luscious, and studded with tart pink raspberries and thick pockets of chocolate. Anyone on your v-day gift list would be thrilled to receive one, and I feel like these muffins could even score you a marriage proposal⏤ hey, stranger things have happened.
Point is, they’re impressive, and I’d be doing a disservice to the day of love if I didn’t share the recipe with you today. Just the look of them screams romance! The process is also super simple, even though their gorgeousness might make you think otherwise. All you need is a mixing bowl, a whisk, and a sneaky-genius baking technique. Allow me to explain: here’s how my Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins were designed.
designing these muffins
So, this muffin recipe is mainly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Jumbo Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins, which also includes a comprehensive guide to making thick, rich bakery muffins. I found it really interesting to learn the “how” behind the delicious confection previously found only in specialty shops. I say previously because I now know that it just takes a few tricks to achieve that luxe, coffee-shop-style look at home! Here’s how Sally does it, and if you’re interested in a deeper explanation, check out her post.
Tip #1 is creating an especially thick muffin batter, which will ensure that during baking, the muffins cook upwards rather than out. Another trick is to fill the cupcake liners all the way to the top. I know this goes against all previous muffin-baking knowledge, but trust me, it works! I’ll never go back. Do these things, and you’ll get this beautiful end product. ↖︎ Drool.
However, Sally’s 3rd tip is where things get really interesting. To get that dramatic, high muffin top, she recommends baking the batter at a very high temperature for the first 5 minutes, then lowering it to 350°F for the remainder of the bake time. As Sally writes, “This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is lowered, the centers of the muffins bake”. I found that it created a crispy, well-risen exterior while leaving the inside moist, dense, and delicious. I’ll swear by this advice now!
As far as changes to the recipe go, I simply chose to use low-fat sour cream & buttermilk, but I’ll explain that more in the ingredients section. Let’s get into it!
ingredients & technique for bakery-style raspberry chocolate muffins
- Baking Powder/Soda: This recipe uses both baking powder and soda, but a much larger quantity of the former⏤ a whole 3 teaspoons! This is because baking soda is used to neutralize acidic ingredients (for example, these muffins contain buttermilk & sour cream), and the resulting chemical reaction provides a bit of a ‘lift’ to the baked good. This is fine for things like cookies or brownies. However, in bakes that rely on being risen and fluffy, that ‘lift’ isn’t enough to leaven the batter to the necessary extent. So, baking powder (which is double-acting!) is thrown in to fully develop the rise, since unlike soda, its main purpose is leavening. Interesting, right? Thanks again to Sally’s Baking Addiction!
- Eggs: For these muffins, your eggs need to be at room temperature. I know, annoying, but it’s crucial for this reason: when eggs are beaten in a recipe, it’s for the purpose of incorporating air, and it’s easier to whisk eggs when they’re at room temp. The easier it is to whisk them, the more volume they’ll get from air, which equals = better-textured muffins. It’s worth noting that the base recipe also wants you to let the sour cream & milk come to room temp, but I kind of deemed that unnecessary⏤ so I wouldn’t make you do it for the eggs if it wasn’t essential! But for the love of God, don’t microwave them.
- Sour Cream: The base recipe states that you can either use sour cream or plain yogurt as the moistening agent in these Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins. I chose to use low-fat sour cream to a. keep the calories in check and b. provide a deeper flavor profile. This combatted the sweetness nicely and kept the muffins moist for days after they were baked! However, I’m sure yogurt would have the same effect. I’d recommend Fage Total 0%.
- Buttermilk: Similar to the sour cream/yogurt situation, this ingredient allows for a lot of leeway. You could use whatever type of milk you prefer; ones with higher fat contents will make for the tastier muffins, but it’s your call. 2%, almond, skim, go nuts. I chose buttermilk because it’s rich and I loved the results!
Semisweet Chocolate Chunks: Semisweet is really the only way to go here. Don’t bother with milk or even white, it just won’t be the same. Chips will work too, but if you can get your hands on them, I swear by these chocolate chunks. They are so thick, and I don’t know, uncommon(?) so they make the muffins feel that bit more special. You can also chop up a bar of semisweet baking chocolate for the same effect.
- Raspberries: I opted to fold frozen raspberries into my batter, and it worked very well. Fresh would also be delicious. Either way, try not to break them up too much when you mix them in, because you want distinct pink rivers of fruity goodness in your muffins! You may also add more if you want. I probably will next time.
- Raw Sugar: This may be the hack that contributes most to making these Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins so premium. I never knew really what coffee shops & expensive bakeries did to achieve that crackly, crystallized tops on their muffins, but it’s easier than I thought. Simply sprinkle some raw, or aptly-named sparkling sugar, on top of the raw batter before you bake. I found that 1/4 cup was enough for all 15 muffins, but the more generous you are, the better your sugar-shell will be.
Now, how you can make these stunners for yourself.
process for bakery-style raspberry chocolate muffins
batter
The first step of making Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins is whisking together the dry ingredients, which are flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure you whisk well so that there are no unincorporated lumps of baking soda/powder⏤ that will make for a nasty surprise in the finished muffin. While you’re doing this, begin melting the butter.
batter, cont’d
After the dry components are combined, you’ll start on the wet ingredients. Mix together the granulated sugar, oil, and room-temp eggs, then pour in the slightly-cooled(!) melted butter. Once that comes together, stir in the buttermilk, vanilla, and sour cream, then dump in the flour mixture all at once and stir until just mixed! The batter will be very thick and lumpy.
bake ✰
Finally, it’s almost time to bake⏤ and look how easy that was! Gently fold in the raspberries and chocolate. Scoop generous portions of batter into the lined cupcake tin and dust with the raw sugar. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F; you’ll notice the tops already beginning to puff up. Lower to 350°F for the remaining 15 minutes and there you have it! Tasty, restaurant-quality muffins. 🙂
Without further ado, the recipe. What better way is there to spend your Valentine’s Day than making massive, cake-like raspberry chocolate muffins?! That’s as good as it gets imo. 😉
recipe for bakery-style raspberry chocolate muffins
Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins
Equipment
- Oven
- Mixing bowl
- Muffin tin
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
wet mixture
- 5 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
- 1 cup buttermilk skim or whole will work in a pinch
- 1 tsp vanilla
fun stuff
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
- 1 1/4 cup raspberries if using frozen, do not thaw!
- 1/4 cup raw sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Let cool slightly (as to not cook the eggs when added!).
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, and eggs until well-combined. The mixture at this point should be pale yellow and very thin. Fold in the melted butter, then add in the sour cream, buttermilk, & vanilla.
- Once everything is thoroughly incorporated, pour the dry ingredients into the wet all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined (be careful not to overmix). The batter will be quite lumpy, but don't worry. Mix in the raspberries & chocolate chunks. If your raspberries begin to break up, that's okay⏤ you will just have pink muffins! 🙂
- Generously the finished batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup completely to the top. This is what will create that coveted muffin top. Press some extra chocolate chunks into the top and sprinkle liberally with demerara sugar.
- Place the muffins in the 425°F oven for 5 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm and enjoy your delicious, homemade bakery-style muffins! 🙂
Notes
- Recipe from www.SoCosmopoliteen.com
- Adapted from www.sallysbakingaddiction.com
- Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Well, that’s all for these Bakery-Style Raspberry Chocolate Muffins! I know I’ll be making these a lot in the future, and you should, too! They’re the perfect snack or breakfast, with a dense crumb that’s just sweet enough and vibrant swirls of raspberry. Just amazing.
Before I go, I hope everyone had a very happy Valentine’s Day! No matter how you choose to celebrate it (hopefully in a COVID-safe way no matter what), this holiday is about love in all its forms, so spread some love this week! Make these muffins for your friends, call your family, whatever. It’s been a wild year and half; positivity is essential. <3
As always, I seriously hope you love this post, and tag me if you decide to make these! My Instagram is @socosmopoliteen and I’d be happy to feature you. 🙂 Can’t get enough muffin recipes? Check out my Best Chocolate Chip Muffins here.
Happy baking!
