heat wave baking

Apparently we are in the middle of a heat wave.  I have been joking to myself that summer in the Central Valley are one big heat wave.  However, we don't normally hit the temperatures we are now, so yes. . . it's hot.  Really hot.  It's the kind of hot that makes me procrastinate doing laundry because it's too hot to go outside at 8am to switch over the laundry.  It's too hot to really leave the house, especially with the boys.  It makes the boys run around like crazy people.  It makes this mommy a bit on the cranky side.

So despite the heat, I turned on my oven and baked some of these gorgeous muffins and some of these.  Trust me. . . it was worth it!  Aren't they beauties!  Ethan even helped a bit with the glaze that went over the top. . . he's a good "painter!"

I had bought some delicious raspberries at Costco for selfish reasons, other than the fact that we like to eat raspberries.  I really like to stick them in my lemonade.  But, being that it's so hot here, the lemonade went rather quickly.  So, I thought that I would use them to make something for Jon's breakfast this week.  It took me forever to find the perfect recipe, since I was almost out of brown sugar, milk and didn't have any yogurt, sour cream, or some of the other ingredients.  I finally settled on a recipe and it was so easy (muffin recipes usually are!).

Have I mentioned how much I love souffle cups?  Maybe they need their own post.  Yep. . . I think they are just that awesome!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

from here via Pinterest

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/4 cup raspberries

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl.  Slowly mix in wet ingredients and stir until just moistened.  Add raspberries and fold very carefully.  You want them to keep their berry-like figures and not be smooshed and have completely pink batter.  

Fill your muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice.  I just eyeballed this til it got to a glue-like consistency.  I like the way it gave it a glazed donut kind of effect.  Spread this on with a spoon or a pastry brush (hence, my son "painting").  

Let cool and then snack on one.  I keep these stored in the fridge, because they are fruit, they will probably last longer.