Several months ago, I saw a recipe for Raspberry Muffins in a hundred-year-old magazine, and have been anxiously waiting to try it. Finally, the black raspberries in my backyard are ripe, and I dug the recipe out and made it.
The recipe was a winner. The Raspberry Muffins were soft, moist, and tasty. They had just the right amount of sweetness, and a hint of cinnamon which worked perfectly with the sweet tartness of the berries.
I served these muffins with coffee to a group of friends. There was a discussion about whether I used blackberries (that are commonly sold in stores) or black raspberries (which are almost never seen in stores) when making the muffins. At least one person in the coffee group hadn’t even known that there was a fruit called black raspberries until I made the muffins.
The original recipe does not indicate whether red or black raspberries should be used. I used black raspberries, but red ones would also work well.
Here’s the original recipe:
A hundred-years-ago many families still lived on farms; and, even in towns, much of the milk that was sold was not pasteurized. Back then, if the non-pasteurized milk was not used quickly, the “good” bacteria in the milk would turn it into a sour milk suitable for use in recipes that used baking soda as the leavening agent. Today’s pasteurized milk can be turned into a sour milk by adding a little vinegar or lemon juice to create a slightly curdled acidic milk that results on bubbles of carbon dioxide gas when combined with the baking soda which causes the baked good to rise.
The raspberries are coated with flour to make them less likely to sink to the bottom of the batter while baking.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Raspberry Muffins
1 cup raspberries (either red or black raspberries can be used)
1 1/2 cups flour + 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
3 tablespoons shortening or butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
Step 2. Put the raspberries in a small bowl and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons flour; gently stir/roll the berries to lightly coat with flour. Set aside.
Step 3. Put the milk in a small bowl and stir in the vinegar/lemon juice. Set aside.
Step 4. Put shortening/butter and sugar in mixing bowl, then cream them together.
Step 5. Add egg, soured milk, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda; stir to combine.
Step 6. Add 1 1/2 cup flour, and stir until just combined.
Step. 7. Add flour-coated raspberries; gently stir to distribute evenly throughout batter.
Step 8. Grease muffin tins (or use paper liners), and then fill each muffin cup 3/4th full with batter. Bake for approximately 25 – 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
I have fresh ones if the bears and birds don’t eat them all and organic as well.
I covered my black raspberry plants with bird netting, which worked pretty well to keep the birds away from the berries. Fortunately no bears here – though I did have a little trouble with squirrels getting some.
I have a very wild spot and everyone comes for breakfast and supper 🙂 I will try netting when I grow a patch of thornless ones.
My black raspberries are all gone now, but blackberries are just starting. I will definitely try this recipe. They would be so handy to freeze and pull out one to enjoy with early morning coffee.
I think that you’ll like this recipe. I like the idea of freezing them and then pulling them out one at a time to have with coffee.
Sounds great!!
I’m amazed at how many people are not familiar with black raspberries. They argue when you try to tell them that the berries aren’t “blackberries.”
The unfamiliarity of many people with black raspberries, I guess shows what a niche food they have become. In my opinion, people are missing a really tasty fruit.
I fully agree. I love them.
This looks very much worth trying, but I’m going to hope for raspberries in the store once I’m willing to turn on the oven again.
I think that you’ll enjoy this recipe. Fingers crossed that you can find some raspberries when the weather gets a little cooler.
These look really good, and muffin sized like we had when I was a kid!
I don’t get the modern recipes claiming to make 12 regular-sized muffins. I’ll make the recipe, only to find it makes 18 to 20 muffins. Have regular-sized muffin pans gotten bigger since the 80’s, when I bought mine?
Nope, people just want those giant outsized muffins with 800 calories!
It annoys me when they say regular sized muffin pans and 12 muffins and it isn’t true!
Whew – 800 calories is a lot!
It’s definitely annoying when the recipe author claims that a recipe make substantively fewer muffins than it actually makes. I’ll have the number of muffin cups prepped (plus maybe an extra one) based on what the recipe says, only to realize when I’m filling them that I will need substantively more.
Same here. I’ll have all my cupcake liners set up in one pan for the muffins and have to get out my second pan plus more liners. 🙄
Exactly – you perfectly described the issues I have.
They are tasty. I still use the muffins tins I bought early in my marriage. In my opinion, old-fashioned regular-sized muffins are just the right size. It’s unbelievable how large some muffins (and cookies) have gotten over the years.
This recipe felt closer to a modern one compared to many you share. It does sound delicious.
When I made the recipe I noticed that it calls for more sugar than many hundred-year-old muffin recipes. One thing that I particularly like about this recipe is that the muffins are not crumbly. I may use it was the base for making other types of muffins. For example, I might substitute chopped apples for the raspberries.
That sounds delicious.
I’ve never even heard of black raspberries. Loganberries, tayberries yes, as well of course as blackberries. But our raspberries are strictly red – though I’ve heard of – and even rarely seen – yellow ones.
And, I don’t think that I’ve ever seen loganberries or tayberries. I’ve seen ads for yellow raspberry plants in gardening/nursery catalogs, but don’t think that I’ve ever actually seen the berries.
Ignorance is NOT bliss, is it? 😉
The muffins look delectable! Pretty sure I have never seen or heard of a black raspberry, but I am not really a raspberry fan.
The muffins are tasty; though, since you’re not a raspberry fan, this probably isn’t a recipe for you.
The muffin part sounds great–maybe I could just put cherries or blueberries in mine. ☺️
This recipe would work well with blueberries. I’m also considering using the batter part of the recipe to make other kinds of muffins. I often make muffins for the coffee group I attend, and I really liked that these muffins were not crumbly.
They look excellent! Now I need a cup of coffee and something sweet:)
They were yummy.
I believe it!
There’s wild black berries up the mountain, I’ll have to see if they are ripe yet . Love a muffin with my coffee in the morning.
It’s fun to forage for wild berries. I also love having a muffin with coffee.
I only see the black raspberries – or blackcaps as they’re called here – sometimes in the farmers’ market. They’re so good and much less acidic than red raspberries. This recipe sounds excellent; thanks for sharing it. I like raspberry muffins a lot.
You’re lucky that they sometimes have them at your local farmers’ market. I’ve never seen them at the farmers’ market that I usually go to. I think that you’d like this recipe. The muffins are tasty.
I’m one of those who didn’t know that black raspberries existed. T’would be great with a coffee!
They are delightful with coffee. Red raspberries would also work with this recipe.
☕️🥮 Enjoy!
I didn’t know that either about black raspberries! Sounds like something I would like to try!
Black raspberries have a lovely, complex sweet-tart flavor profile that I really like. If you can find some, you should give them a try.
I’m taking a sweet trip down memory lane – nothing beats a classic, warm raspberry muffin!
It’s nice to hear that this post brought back some good food memories.
these sound delicious. I usually make my own buttermilk these days as it’s getting harder to find in the shops. Tho i have read that sour milk and buttermilk are different but who knows? :=)
sherry
I also think that sour milk and buttermilk are different, but since they both are acidic my sense is that they work in similar ways in recipes to improve the leavening capacity of baking soda.
Those look delicious!
They’re yummy.