When I have a freshly picked heap of blackberries I tend to look at them and think either crumble or jam. This year I have decided to try to be a little more diverse and it struck me that not only do they not always need to be paired with apples, I could also substitute blackberries in most recipes using blueberries or raspberries. So far this strategy seems to be paying off. Blackberry muffins taste wonderful but you have to not mind the more obvious pips. I think it adds to their charm.

Recipe

Ingredients

360g plain flour

370g caster sugar

1 and a half teaspoons baking powder

half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

450g pot of natural yogurt

1 egg

half a teaspoon vanilla extract

70g melted butter

250g blackberries

Method

Set the oven to 180°C. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cases.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Combine the natural yogurt, egg and vanilla extract and add to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter. Mix well. Gently fold in the blackberries – don’t worry if the mixture goes a strange purple colour!

Spoon in to the cases and bake for around 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean and it is firm to the touch.

Allow to cool slightly below turning onto a cooling rack.

A lovely seasonal treat that tastes even better because you have found the time and effort to pick the berries yourself. Perfect for enjoying with a coffee with friends!

Categories: Baking, Cakes, Desserts, Foraging, Fruit picking, Lifestyle, Muffins, Recipes

Tags: autumn, baking, blackberries, cake, coffee, fruit picking, muffins, vanilla, yogurt