My biggest flex is that I have the best blueberry muffins on the internet, and when I adapted them into these beautiful and unique raspberry muffins, well, they proved that they are just THAT good. And yes, I’m going to crown them the best raspberry muffins you’ll ever have. But I promise, confidence is a good thing! They are moist in the center, packed with berries, just the right amount of sweet, and have a perfectly crispy, golden top. Plus, the recipe is supremely easy. One bowl, one dream, one muffin recipe. What is there to lose?
Table of contents
- First, let’s talk about raspberry muffins
- Ingredients you will need for these raspberry muffins
- How to prep the muffin batter
- Can I make these raspberry muffins ahead of time?
- Ingredients you will need for the basil syrup
- How to prepare the basil syrup
- Tips & tricks on how to store raspberry muffins and keep them moist
- Looking for other muffins?
First, let’s talk about raspberry muffins
Raspberry muffins seem like an easy leap from blueberry muffins. It’s basically the same, right? And while that’s true in some capacities, there are key differences you need to look at when making a raspberry vs. blueberry muffin.
The first: size. Raspberries are naturally bigger! It’s not a bad thing, it’s just something to keep in mind as you add them to your batter. Here I advise to gently stir them in so as not to break them up. A little breakage is fine (and expected!), it’s just that you don’t want too much breaking-up, because that will negatively impact your muffin.
The second: seeds! Raspberries do have seeds, and while I’ve never minded them, they do offer a slightly different texture than blueberry muffins. Just something to keep in mind as you start your muffin plans. While blackberries have far too big of seeds for a muffin like this, I’ve found I never notice it when I make raspberry muffins.
Lastly, the color. It is totally expected for red fruits (like raspberries and strawberries) to dull a bit in color when they are baked. That’s totally fine! Here the recipe preserves their color as much as possible, but it’s just something to note. They’ll be just as delicious either way!
Ingredients you will need for these raspberry muffins
What I love about this recipe is the ingredient list is a lot of items you will already have on hand! The only big purchase is the raspberries. Here’s everything you will need:
- 2 large eggs
- 113 grams salted butter, 1/2 cup, melted
- 110 grams granulated sugar, 1/2 cup
- 110 grams dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup
- 85 grams skyr or greek yogurt, 1/3 cup
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract, or rose water, if you prefer a more floral flavor profile
- 280 grams all-purpose flour, 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half if you are using Morton’s
- 80 mL milk of choice, 1/3 cup, I use almond milk typically
- 320 grams fresh raspberries, 2 cups
- 30 grams turbinado sugar, 2 tablespoons, for topping
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt, optional, for topping
How to prep the muffin batter
As much as I want to be nonchalant about this and say “just mix and pour!” There are instructions I can give you. And if you’re like: “you could have just said mix and pour,” well…I don’t blame you 🙂
To make the batter, first whisk together the eggs, butter, sugars, skyr, and vanilla until smooth.
Add in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix, adding splashes of milk in a few tablespoons at a time to help ease it into a smooth batter.
Mix in the raspberries with a spatula. They will break apart, but be gentle and try to keep them as whole as possible.
Then voila! You have a batter! Try not to eat it all with a spoon, okay?
The next step will be to bake the muffins. Which is best done at 375°F. They do take time (since they are jumbo), so expect to bake them for about 32-35 minutes. Look for deep golden tops when you pull them out!
Can I make these raspberry muffins ahead of time?
Absolutely! They store amazingly at room temperature for up to 5 days. I like to keep them in a covered cake stand, or in any kind of vessel where I can keep them covered. Air tight containers like Tupperware are also great for this.
The basil syrup doesn’t keep as well, so if you are opting into that, I recommend making it right before serving. There’s more on that below!
Ingredients you will need for the basil syrup
It’s a simple syrup – pun intended. Here’s everything you will need for it, and it’s not much:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 110 grams granulated sugar ,1/2 cup
- 62 mL water, 1/4 cup
How to prepare the basil syrup
This process is kind of like any other simple syrup, which is great because you can also use it like any simple syrup – meaning: it’s great in cocktails.
Just place a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the basil, sugar and water and let the sugar fully dissolve, stirring often. Let the mixture bubble for 3-4 minutes, stirring so that the basil is always as submerged as possible. When the basil is nearly 1/3 of its original size and you can swipe a spatula along the bottom of the pan and see the bottom for a few seconds before the syrup floods back, then the syrup is ready. Remove the basil leaves and set the syrup aside.
Tips & tricks on how to store raspberry muffins and keep them moist
How you store a baked good greatly impacts how it will taste over time. And don’t we all want our leftovers to be 10/10? These muffins will last up to a week, and here are my best tips on how to store them:
- Store in a cool, dry place like a pantry or a cool part of your kitchen – this is not the best recipe to store near the stove! Temperature variance won’t affect the moisture, but it will affect your muffin’s ability to keep for the full week.
- Store in an air-tight container – this is imperative to keeping a cake’s moisture. Let the muffins cool completely before moving them to a tupperware container with a snap-lock lid.
- For extra moisture, throw in a damp paper towel 12 hours before eating your next muffin – it’s wild, but it works!
- Forgot to do that step? Microwave your muffin for 20 seconds with a wet paper towel draped over it. I learned this from Emily Mariko and I’m never going back.
Looking for other muffins?
I have a great set of muffin archives. Here are some of my favorites!
And that’s everything for these Raspberry Muffins with Basil Syrup!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Raspberry Muffins with Basil Syrup
Equipment
- 1 jumbo muffin tin
- 1 piece of parchment paper
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 small sauté pan
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 113 grams salted butter 1/2 cup, melted
- 110 grams granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 110 grams dark brown sugar 1/2 cup
- 85 grams skyr or greek yogurt 1/3 cup
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract or rose water, if you prefer a more floral flavor profile
- 280 grams all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt use half if you are using Morton's
- 80 mL milk of choice 1/3 cup, I use almond milk typically
- 320 grams fresh raspberries 2 cups
- 30 grams turbinado sugar 2 tablespoons, for topping
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt Optional, for topping
Basil Syrup
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- 110 grams granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 62 mL water 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, sugars, skyr, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix, adding splashes of milk in a few tablespoons at a time to help ease it into a smooth batter.
- Mix in the raspberries with a spatula. They will break apart, but be gentle and try to keep them as whole as possible.
- Line or grease a jumbo muffin tin and equally portion the batter into each cup. This will make six jumbo muffins or twelve standard-sized muffins (see notes). Sprinkle each muffin with a generous amount of turbinado sugar and a small sprinkle of flaky salt.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes or until the tops are domed and golden and you no longer hear any "bubbling" of the batter. (The toothpick trick won't work here, unfortunately, you'll run into some raspberries!)
- While the muffins are baking, place a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the basil, sugar and water and let the sugar fully dissolve, stirring often. Let the mixture bubble for 3-4 minutes, stirring so that the basil is always as submerged as possible. When the basil is nearly 1/3 of its original size and you can swipe a spatula along the bottom of the pan and see the bottom for a few seconds before the syrup floods back, then the syrup is ready. Remove the basil leaves and set the syrup aside.
- Use a brush to brush the basil syrup over the cooked muffins. This will act like a cake soak in a way, keeping the muffins moist and also adding flavor.
- Serve and enjoy!
Incredible muffins! I love the added touch of the basil simple syrup
So SO happy you liked them!
these are so fabulous, unique, and easy to make! love love love, would make again.
YAY – I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Justine, Trader Joe’s has freeze dried raspberries right now, have you ever thought about experimenting with something like that? I’ve heard that freeze dried fruits are great for baking since there’s no water variable. Obviously to make them work in your recipe, I assume I’d have to add the moisture back in somewhere. Anyways, looking forward to trying this recipe (or your blueberry recipe) when I have fresh on hand!
Justine! What a magician you are with crafting such unique recipes! I made and loved your blueberry muffins. I should feel ashamed a little bit that I finished all 12 in 3 days, but I honestly don’t care – it was THAT good! And since then I’ve decided to make all the muffin recipes you put out. This raspberry one is just out of this world! The basil flavour is super refreshing! As a fan of the ginger sugar crumble, I did half and half with that and the basil syrup. My husband who doesn’t like sweet stuff was singing praises of me! I made his favourite chocolate cake the same day and he didn’t even want to eat that, he just had the muffins :D. Thank you for your genius!
Oh my GOSH this is the highest compliment!! Thank you so much for loving the muffins (and I, too, love the ginger sugar), so I’m so glad you made these, too!
Would this work with frozen raspberries?
I haven’t personally tested it, my only concern is that they might release a bit too much moisture and not hold their structure (water in the berries expands when frozen, breaking their structure which is why they are mushier when thawed!), but increase the bake time if needed, and I think the results should be similar!
Every one of your baked goods that I’ve tried has been absolutely stellar and these are no exception. Soooo good!
Omg THANK YOU – sorry for the delay in my reply, but I’m so glad you liked it!