Raspberry Muffins

The secret to making great raspberry muffins is lemon zest!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. canola oil

1/2 c. milk

zest of one lemon

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. applesauce

Mix together until well combined.

Then add:

1 large egg (at room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until combined. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine:

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Whisk the dry ingredients (I whisk instead of sifting the flour)

Add wet ingredients to dry and fold gently until almost combined.

Then add:

1 1/2 c. frozen raspberries

(if using fresh berries, rinse them and let them dry, then toss with

1 Tb. of flour to soak up any liquid. then add raspberries to the mixture...) When adding raspberries, fold only a few times & as gently as possible. This will prevent the color from leaking into batter & will also prevent your batter from being overworked.

The lighter & fluffier the muffin, the better...

Spray a muffin tin or line with baking cups. Fill with batter almost to the very top. This recipe will make a baker's dozen muffins.

Bake @ 350* for 20-24 minutes, turning halfway through baking time. They are done if you gently press a finger on top and the muffin springs back up. If indentation stays or you see muffin fall a little bit when pressed, then bake a few more minutes. I spritzed the top of muffins with water & sprinkled sparkling sugar on top.

Enjoy!