The farm I get my organic produce from is having a bumper crop of raspberries this year (these are a fall variety). Last weeks weren't eaten right away and got moldy so I had to throw them out. Yesterday hubby picked about a quarts worth and I didn't want them to go bad so had to come up with something to make with them. I found some good recipes online but it seems all of them had some necessary ingredients I didn't have and couldn't substitute, or they were using raspberry jam. The exception to this is this one made with Banana's I didn't have any really ripe ones then, but should come next picking! I will try this recipe and let you all know how it turned out.
Raspberry Banana BreadSo I turned to one of my GF cookbooks to see if there was anything in them using raspberries.
I first grabbed my Best Ever Wheat and Gluten Free Baking book by the Wenniger's (I've told you about this book before) and checked the index. There was one recipe for raspberries. I looked it up and found it right across from the Carrot muffin recipe I'd made on Monday which were very good after I figured out what to substitute for the amaranth flour I haven't procured yet.
I glanced over the recipe and was glad to see it used fresh raspberries but was quite involved, but called again for ingredients I didn't have.
One was quinoa flakes, I've never seen them so had no idea what they were. I looked them up at the Quinoa site and once I understood the shape and texture thought about what I did have that I could substitute for them since it seemed to be integral in the overall taste and texture of the topping. I decided on taking some GF whole Oats and giving them a spin in the processor until they looked like the consistency of the quinoa flakes.
My next problem was the amaranth flour again, and the fact that I was almost out of white rice flour and they had none at the store yesterday on my trip there (why are they always out of one of our main staples?).
So basically I really tweaked this recipe a lot but it came out sooooooooo good I just had to share it. I don't know if it's better than the original but if it isn't I can't imagine how it could be better.
I'll post the original recipe first and then my version so you can (hopefully) make one or the other.
Raspberry Amaranth Muffins with Streusel ToppingTopping ingredients:2 tbls butter, room temp
2 teas brown sugar
2 tbls brown rice flour
2 tbls quinoa flakes
1/2 tea cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped plain walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup fresh raspberries in season
Dry Ingredients:1/2 C Amaranth flour
1/2 C soy flour
1 C rice flour
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas baking soda
2 teas baking powder
Wet Ingredients:1 egg or 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 C buttermilk
1/2 teas vanilla flavoring or extract
1/2 C oil
1/2 C Raspberries, fresh and washed and drained
1/2 C honey
Combine all ingredients for topping but Raspberries in a small bowl, using a pastry blender or a fork to crumble the butter into the ingredients, set aside.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F or (200 C , gas mark 6)
Grease bottom of muffin tins ( 12 muffin pan size) or use paper liners
Whist dry ingredients together in medium large bowl, making a well in the center, set aside.
In another bowl mix together wet ingredients, except for the Raspberries. Pour wet ingredients mixture into the center of dry and lightly stir together just until incorporated. Then gently fold in with spatula, the raspberries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Top with Streusel mix.
Bake 20 minutes ------------------12 muffins
My version: Topping ingredients:2 tbls organic butter, room temp
2 teas organic brown sugar
2 tbls brown rice flour
2 tbls chopped whole oats (chop in food processor)
1/2 tea Organic Vietnamese cinnamon *
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbls hazelnut or almond flour (really gives it a wonderful bakery flavor!)
1/2 cup fresh organic raspberries (wash and drain on towel before adding)
Dry Ingredients:1/2 soy flour
3/4 c brown rice flour
1/3 tapioca
1/4 almond/hazelnut flour
1/2 sorghum
1 1/2 tea powdered ginger
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas baking soda
2 teas baking powder
Wet Ingredients:1 egg slightly beaten
1 C buttermilk (made from dry powder if you don't have fresh, find brand
here)
1/2 teas organic vanilla extract
1/2 C peanut oil
1/2 C Raspberries, fresh, washed and drained
1/2 C honey
Combine all ingredients for topping except Raspberries in a small bowl, using a pastry blender or a fork to crumble the butter into the ingredients, set aside.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F or (200 C , gas mark 6)
Spray with non aresol oil( 12 muffin pan size)
Whisk dry ingredients together in medium large bowl, making a well in the center, set aside.
In another bowl mix together wet ingredients, except for the Raspberries. Pour wet ingredients mixture into the center of dry and lightly stir together just until incorporated. Then gently fold in with spatula, the raspberries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Top with Streusel mix.
Bake 20 minutes ------------------12 muffins
Try not to eat them all at once! I took them out of the pan gently and onto a cooling rack before eating them. They had them served with homemade Creme Fraiche, but I didn't have the time (8 hours to make!) So I just served them on pretty blue and white china plate with a edging of whipped creme!
The texture was really great! The flavor of the topping puts them in a pastry category for me, but the texture was not your typical GF texture, and was not heavy, but was moist, even two days later eating one. (I have tried to make these last so I froze 1/2 of the batch and will let you know in a month or so how they held up!).
The only other fruit I would substitute for the raspberries to maintain the flavor would be fresh peaches, cut into raspberry sized pieces, I think these would be great too!
Enjoy!
* Vietnamese Cinnamon, aka, Saigon Cassia Cinnamon, can be found at
The Spice HouseIf you give these a try and I am really recommending you do, even if not a great raspberry fan, as I am not, you will love them, please share here how they turned out!