Duo of Berries Muffins

Why do baked goods oftentimes regarded as unhealthy? We normally associate them with high fat, loaded with sugar, too much carbohydrates and "what have you not". Yet, ironically, the more we are inclined to have them most of the time. Isn't the remark "sinfully good" a favorite of many? Well, to lessen this guilty pleasure in consuming those goodies, why not balance it with something more favourable to your health?

This is actually what this muffin recipe is all about. I've adapted this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten. Originally, the recipe calls for 3 types of berries - blueberry, strawberry and raspberry. But since my kids are slighthly averse with sour notes, I only used blueberry and strawberry hence, the name Duo of Berries Muffins. It's less sweet, soft in texture and the crust on the top makes a  nice distinguishing taste feature.

What you need:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used normal salt, it's fine as well)

1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder

1 1/4 cups milk

2 extra large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup unsalted butter (225g), melted

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup diced, fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

How to make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir with your hand (or a whisk) until fully combined. In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs and melted butter.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, pour the wet mixture into the well and stir until just combined. There will be some lumps but don't over mix the batter. Add the blueberries, strawberries and sugar and stir gently to combine.

4. Spoon batter into the muffin cups to fill the liners. Bake for 25 mins, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops are nicely brown.