Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
These are the best raspberry mini muffins I’ve ever had! They’re supremely tender, deliciously sweet, and full of juicy berries. As a chocoholic, I especially love the chocolate chips, too! These muffins will keep for at least 4 days (if not closer to a week!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) distilled white vinegar (see Notes!)
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
- 1 cup (140g) fresh raspberries, finely diced (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (56g) miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 36 mini muffin cups with paper liners, and lightly coat them with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, almond extract, and liquid stevia. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Fold in the diced raspberries and 3 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Evenly divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 11-14 minutes or until the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will make your muffins turn out dry.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer! They tend to overmix this batter, which yields muffins that are tough, gummy, rubbery, or dense. Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
ALMOND EXTRACT ALTERNATIVE: If you’re not a fan of almond extract or don't have any, substitute vanilla extract.
LIQUID STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too. Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.
If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia, then substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL) of pure maple syrup, honey or agave AND reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons (30mL).
VINEGAR NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Do not omit the vinegar! You can’t taste it in the finished muffins — I promise! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to do three things: (a) make the muffins rise, (b) give them a more tender texture, and (c) prevent the raspberries from staining the batter blue. See the "Nerd Alert" in my blog post above for more information!
If you don't have distilled white vinegar, then substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice. (It has a similar pH, so your muffins should have the same texture!) I haven't tried using other vinegars, so I'm not sure how they'll turn out.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
FRESH RASPBERRIES NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: When dicing the raspberries, cut them to be no larger than the size of chocolate chips. Larger pieces prevent the muffins from baking evenly, and the muffins will collapse and turn dense while cooling.
Frozen and thawed raspberries may be substituted for the fresh, but they tend to discolor the batter.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store the fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least 4 days, if not longer.
FREEZING TIPS: If you used paper liners, peel them off before freezing. (It’s harder to peel them off after thawing or reheating the muffins!) I like to thaw individual muffins in the microwave on 50% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!
HOW TO MAKE STANDARD SIZE MUFFINS: This recipe will also make 12 standard-sized muffins, if you prefer. Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low calorie, low fat, low sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.