I made berry muffins on a gray, sunless afternoon. The photos didn’t turn out to be the most appealing, but that didn’t affect their taste or texture at all. I’ve tried them a few times, with slight variations in the size of the molds, and I’ve noticed that they turn out just as good in both large and small molds. I usually leave the butter out at room temperature in the morning if I know I’ll be making them at lunchtime, as this greatly helps with the final consistency.
Quick Info
Total time: about 1 hour
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes for large molds, 20 minutes for small ones
Servings: 6 large muffins or 12 small muffins
Difficulty: easy
Recipe type: quick dessert, suitable for snacks or breakfast
Ingredients
200 g flour
60 g oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
130 g brown sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
150 g soft butter (or margarine, if preferred)
300 g sour cream
250 g frozen berries
powdered sugar for decoration
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take the butter out of the fridge a few hours beforehand to soften.
2. Grind the oats as finely as possible. I use a small blender. If you have very fine oats, you can skip this step.
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then add the ground oats, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them evenly.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer or whisk for about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the vanilla sugar and brown sugar, continuing to mix until dissolved.
5. Add the soft butter (or margarine) to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Pour in the sour cream and mix briefly until everything is well combined.
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. I pour everything in at once and then gently mix with a spatula just until combined, being careful not to overmix to avoid dense muffins.
7. Add the frozen berries directly (there’s no need to thaw them). Gently fold them in with a spatula using wide movements to avoid crushing them.
8. Fill the muffin molds almost to the edge. For large molds, I divide the batter into 6, and for small ones, into 12.
9. Bake at 180°C: 40 minutes for large molds and about 20 minutes for small ones. I do the toothpick test – if it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.
10. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them sit in the molds for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Why I make this recipe often
They are quick to make and don’t require complicated ingredients. They also don’t dry out after a day. You can easily adapt them with whatever fruits you have or whatever muffin molds you find handy. They are suitable for lunchboxes or breakfast, not just as dessert.
Tips and Variations
Tips
If the butter isn’t soft enough, small lumps may form, but it won’t affect the taste. To avoid coloring the batter too much, mix very briefly after adding the berries. Use frozen fruit directly without thawing, so it doesn’t make the batter soggy.
Substitutions
Butter can be replaced with margarine, which won’t significantly change the texture. If you don’t have brown sugar, white sugar works too, though the flavor will be slightly different. Sour cream is important for the moist texture; I don’t recommend substituting it with yogurt.
Variations
You can use blueberries, raspberries, or a mix of berries, depending on what you have. If you don’t like oats, you can omit them and replace them with more flour, but the texture will be more classic and less moist.
Serving Ideas
They are great dusted with powdered sugar but also delicious on their own with coffee or tea. You can serve them with a bit of yogurt or whipped cream if you want something richer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I use fresh fruit?
Yes, but adjust the baking time if using fruits with a lot of moisture (like very ripe raspberries).
2. What kind of sour cream should I use?
Fermented sour cream, not whipping cream. Ideally around 20% fat, but lower fat is fine if that’s what you have.
3. Can I make them with whole wheat flour?
You can partially replace the white flour with whole wheat, but the texture will be denser.
4. Do the fruits need to thaw beforehand?
No, frozen fruits are added directly to the batter.
5. What can I dust them with if I don’t have powdered sugar?
They can be served without dusting or you can use a bit of cinnamon mixed with granulated sugar.
Nutritional Values
One large muffin has approximately 330 kcal (estimate, depending on the size of the mold). Macros: about 7 g protein, 15 g fat, 44 g carbohydrates. The small muffins will have about half of these values. These are approximate; for an accurate assessment, you need to calculate based on the weight of each portion.
Storage and Reheating
They keep well at room temperature in a sealed container for 2-3 days. If you keep them longer, you can refrigerate them, but the texture becomes denser after a few days. I don’t recommend freezing; I haven’t tried it and I don’t know if the texture remains okay after thawing. They can be quickly reheated for a few seconds in the microwave if you want to serve them warm.
Quick Info
Total time: about 1 hour
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes for large molds, 20 minutes for small ones
Servings: 6 large muffins or 12 small muffins
Difficulty: easy
Recipe type: quick dessert, suitable for snacks or breakfast
Ingredients
200 g flour
60 g oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
130 g brown sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
150 g soft butter (or margarine, if preferred)
300 g sour cream
250 g frozen berries
powdered sugar for decoration
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take the butter out of the fridge a few hours beforehand to soften.
2. Grind the oats as finely as possible. I use a small blender. If you have very fine oats, you can skip this step.
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then add the ground oats, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them evenly.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer or whisk for about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the vanilla sugar and brown sugar, continuing to mix until dissolved.
5. Add the soft butter (or margarine) to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Pour in the sour cream and mix briefly until everything is well combined.
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. I pour everything in at once and then gently mix with a spatula just until combined, being careful not to overmix to avoid dense muffins.
7. Add the frozen berries directly (there’s no need to thaw them). Gently fold them in with a spatula using wide movements to avoid crushing them.
8. Fill the muffin molds almost to the edge. For large molds, I divide the batter into 6, and for small ones, into 12.
9. Bake at 180°C: 40 minutes for large molds and about 20 minutes for small ones. I do the toothpick test – if it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.
10. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them sit in the molds for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Why I make this recipe often
They are quick to make and don’t require complicated ingredients. They also don’t dry out after a day. You can easily adapt them with whatever fruits you have or whatever muffin molds you find handy. They are suitable for lunchboxes or breakfast, not just as dessert.
Tips and Variations
Tips
If the butter isn’t soft enough, small lumps may form, but it won’t affect the taste. To avoid coloring the batter too much, mix very briefly after adding the berries. Use frozen fruit directly without thawing, so it doesn’t make the batter soggy.
Substitutions
Butter can be replaced with margarine, which won’t significantly change the texture. If you don’t have brown sugar, white sugar works too, though the flavor will be slightly different. Sour cream is important for the moist texture; I don’t recommend substituting it with yogurt.
Variations
You can use blueberries, raspberries, or a mix of berries, depending on what you have. If you don’t like oats, you can omit them and replace them with more flour, but the texture will be more classic and less moist.
Serving Ideas
They are great dusted with powdered sugar but also delicious on their own with coffee or tea. You can serve them with a bit of yogurt or whipped cream if you want something richer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I use fresh fruit?
Yes, but adjust the baking time if using fruits with a lot of moisture (like very ripe raspberries).
2. What kind of sour cream should I use?
Fermented sour cream, not whipping cream. Ideally around 20% fat, but lower fat is fine if that’s what you have.
3. Can I make them with whole wheat flour?
You can partially replace the white flour with whole wheat, but the texture will be denser.
4. Do the fruits need to thaw beforehand?
No, frozen fruits are added directly to the batter.
5. What can I dust them with if I don’t have powdered sugar?
They can be served without dusting or you can use a bit of cinnamon mixed with granulated sugar.
Nutritional Values
One large muffin has approximately 330 kcal (estimate, depending on the size of the mold). Macros: about 7 g protein, 15 g fat, 44 g carbohydrates. The small muffins will have about half of these values. These are approximate; for an accurate assessment, you need to calculate based on the weight of each portion.
Storage and Reheating
They keep well at room temperature in a sealed container for 2-3 days. If you keep them longer, you can refrigerate them, but the texture becomes denser after a few days. I don’t recommend freezing; I haven’t tried it and I don’t know if the texture remains okay after thawing. They can be quickly reheated for a few seconds in the microwave if you want to serve them warm.