Nearly every summer during grade school, our parents gently shook us awake and seatbelted us into the minivan, still in our PJs. We backed out of the driveway before 6 am, a large mug of coffee in Dad’s hand and a Diet Snapple at Mom’s elbow. (She always drove; Dad always navigated.) After 6 hours on I-5, we had already driven thought half of California—and downtown LA, before rush hour traffic!—and pulled off the freeway in Anaheim.
We were going to Disneyland!
My brother and I bathed and set out our clothes that night, and we bounced out of bed bright and early the next morning. The park gates opened at 8, and we had to get there before then. How else would there be enough time to ride the Tea Cups, pose with Mickey, sing along on It’s a Small World, kiss Pooh’s nose, and sit for silhouettes on Main Street?
While our parents probably looked forward to their afternoon pool (and nap) time the most, my brother and I loved racing around Disneyland and checking off all of the rides. But the second-best part was breakfast. Because cold cereal and milk didn’t travel too well on the road, our parents spoiled us with a special treat…
Muffins!
They bought big Costco-sized packs, more than enough for the three or four days of vacation. Because of our small stomachs (and appetites), my brother and I split one each morning. We peeled off the wrapper, turned the muffin upside down, and nibbled on the bottom first. The soft sugary top was our favorite part!
But as picky eaters, we only ate one flavor: lemon poppy seed. (If the bakery sprinkled slivered almonds on top, we always picked them off!) We hated “bits” and “chunks” in our breakfasts, so blueberry, cherry, and cranberry muffins went to our parents’ plates instead.
Eventually, sometime around my 10th birthday, I relented and tried banana muffins for the first time. Yes, normal banana muffins don’t have chunks, but… Mom’s mashing was a little lazy, so our homemade ones did. And when I devoured half a dozen of those in a day, she convinced me to sample blueberry. And craisin. And apple.
But for some strange reason, I waited until high school to try raspberry. Oh boy, was THAT a mistake! I immediately fell head over heels for their sweet-and-barely-tart flavor, the juicy berries bursting open with every bite.
With a little extra tang from cream cheese, and a little extra decadence from white chocolate, these raspberry muffins might be the best I’ve ever had—or baked!
| White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins | Print |
- 1 cup (140g) raspberries
- 2 tbsp (33g) fat-free cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (30mL) canola oil
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) skim milk
- ½ cup + ½ tsp (98g) granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ cup (56g) white chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Light coat 12 muffins cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- Using a knife or small spoon, gently fill the center of each raspberry with the cream cheese. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, egg whites, vanilla, and milk. Stir in ½ cup of sugar. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and filled raspberries.
- Divide the batter between the muffins cups, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake at 350° for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
View Nutrition Facts + Weight Watchers Information
Made these today and they were absolutely amazing!! Definitely making them again 🙂 I was wondering if you could post the nutritional information, if possible? If not, that’s perfectly fine!
Thanks again for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you Anna, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! The nutrition information is available below the recipe, if you click on the link “View Nutrition Information.” I try to include it for each of my recipes — it seems to come in handy! 🙂
Oh! Thank you so much 🙂 Didn’t see it before haha
That’s okay; happy I could help! 🙂
they sound yummy!
Thanks Dina! They disappeared pretty quickly, especially when I dropped them off at my parents’ place!
Hi,
Loved the recipe– thanks for sharing!
Quick question– I might have missed something on the sugar– what is the divided 1/2 tsp for? I thought it might be to toss the berries in or combine with the cream cheese– in case the raspberries not sweet enough 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed my recipe Geetha! And oh goodness — thank you for catching my typo! The ½ teaspoon of sugar was meant to be sprinkled on top of the muffins just before baking to give them extra soft tops. I’ve updated the recipe, so it should make a little more sense now!
Cool thanks– will definitely do that next time! 🙂
You’re welcome, and thanks again for catching that!
what do you think about using frozen raspberries?
I think they’d probably work Tracey! I wouldn’t recommend stuffing the cream cheese inside of the raspberries, but if you simply folded in the raspberries, cream cheese & white chocolate chips, that should be just fine. (Just remember, frozen raspberries tend to bleed more than fresh ones!) I’d love to hear what you think if you try the muffins!
I made it with frozen raspberries and they came out great. I doubled the recipe and used 4oz (1/2 of a block) of cream cheese. We all loved them and I froze half for another time. Thanks for great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Tracey!! 🙂
I just baked these and they are truly amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Just curious as to the best way to store them now?
Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Amy! They’ll keep for a few days if stored in an airtight container on the counter, but I prefer to store them in an airtight container (or zip-topped bags) in the refrigerator to ensure they last for at least 6 days. 🙂
Hi Amy, this recipes sounds fantastic. My husband loves any kind of chocolate and raspberries. He is a diabetic so I’m worried about the granulated sugar. Is there a substitute you could recommend? I love all your recipes. I have baked many of them with great success. Thank you for sharing them.
You’re so kind Sandy — that means a lot to me that you’re enjoying my recipes! We can definitely adjust this recipe to use a no-calorie sweetener for your husband instead. What’s his preferred sweetener?
Hi Amy, thanks for replying so quickly. He really doesn’t have a favorite sweetener. If I had to choose one it would be honey. But, I have Agava and Splenda also. So what ever you recommend would be fine.
It’s my pleasure Sandy! Granulated sugar, honey, and agave will all have a similar effect on your husband’s blood sugar levels, whereas Splenda (a no-calorie sweetener) won’t have that same effect. I recommend talking to your doctor if you’d like more information about that! If you’re using granulated Splenda, the kind that’s a 1-to-1 equivalent for granulated sugar, then you’ll need ½ cup for the muffins + an additional 2-3 tablespoons of milk. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you both think of these muffins!
Hi Amy, the muffins were a huge success. After my husband took the first bite he said, “these are delicious yum yum”!! I used the Splenda and added the extra milk. They were very easy to prepare. Thanks for all of your help.
I’m SO thrilled to hear that Sandy!! That means a lot to me that he loved the muffins! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe the two of you try next!