September is a hard month for me. I love-hate September. There is the good: the kids start school, it's the start of the downhill side of the deathly heat of summer in Texas, there is the possibility it could rain, it's the first sign of fall coming... The bad? Well, pretty much the flip-side of all the good parts: the kids are going to school so that makes me kind of sad, summer is supposed to be over, yet its still 100 degrees outside, and its not actually fall yet!
Early September is definitely too early to start wearing sweaters, decorating with pretty leaves and pumpkins, and cooking up all the cozy, aromatic recipes of fall. Except that I really want to. So badly. Adding to the problem I have is that all those amazing autumnal vegetables I love and want to cook with aren't really in season yet. So I have to find things to cook that will appease my need for cozy-fall feelings but also are more appropriate for the actual season.
Thankfully the internet is full of handy charts and info-graphics that can remind you what is in season with a quick google search. So while I was sad that none of my favorite fall things are on the list yet, it provided some solid inspiration for things to make until October finally decides to come.
Design by Alice Mongkongllite / BuzzFeed
LOTS of these things are favorites in our house so my brain started cooking. Eggplant is immediately off the list, Aaron is super allergic and we can't even have it in the house, so unfortunately for any of you who are eggplant lovers (like my mom) there will probably not going to be any recipes with eggplant on the blog.
However, my kids are huge fans of apples, pears, and melons. Chanel loves mangoes, corn and plums. I'm a huge fan of raspberries and peppers and okra... my goodness so many ideas for things to make this month! I think there are going to be some creative pizzas coming this way with beets and arugula or figs and prosciutto. We could have a cozy night with some gumbo chock full of okra. I will probably make that sausage and pepper bake again, since it was such a hit!
Okay, but back to the issue at hand, what was I going to make today, right now, to feed the kids for the week? Inspired by this Averie Cooks bread, I decided on making some Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins with a crumble topping borrowed from my banana bread. These muffins did the trick. Hondo has been gobbling them up.
Before I get to the recipe, there are just a couple notes I want to share about muffin making.
- For a popped-up muffin with a pretty top, make sure your cupcake tins are full. That means batter all the way to the top of the liner. So even if your recipe says it makes twelve, if the tins aren't full they won't pop up over the top and have that pretty muffin shape, they will look flatter like a cupcake. So maybe you get nine muffins instead of twelve (this recipe should make 12).
- I like to use two liners instead of one. This is for a couple reasons - if you chose a pretty decorated liner or a color, it will be more clear and pop if there are too since they are pretty translucent. Also, often some grease will seep into the liner and can leave them very shiny and soggy, they can rip more easily when getting pulled off.
- Also, spray your liners with some cooking spray after putting them in the cupcake tins. It might sound crazy (it did to me when Aaron suggested it), but it helps the liners peel off cleanly without taking half the cake or muffin with them and also prevents some of that seeping-grease problem.
Also for this recipe I recommend using fresh raspberries, not frozen. First, I can't seem to ever find a bag of just frozen raspberries and not a berry mix. Second, I find that frozen fruit can bleed and sink, so you end up with a soggy-bottomed muffins. Lastly, because of the size of fresh raspberries, I think cutting them in half means you get bites with good, full berry flavor, but not so much that the bread around it is soggy.
Raspberry Chocolate-Chip muffins
Makes 12 standard muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 oz. fresh raspberries, washed, patted dried and halved
- 1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 batch crumble topping (see below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cupcake tin; line with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cooled butter with the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Whisk together and then whisk in the egg.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Carefully fold in the raspberries and chocolate chips, the raspberries can smush easily.
Fill each cupcake tin to the top of the liner with batter. Top each muffin with crumble topping.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden browned and a tooth pick comes out clean.
crumble topping
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs. butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup of flour
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. When the butter is cool enough to touch, use your fingers to crumble it into pea-sized pieces. Top the muffins with equal amounts before baking.