Elements For A Healthier Life Magazine Issue 04 | August 2016 | Page 51

“I know better,” she exclaimed as I walked into the house. “I know better as a cook. I never should have tried a new recipe before I go to a friend's house for dinner.”

I looked at the muffins cooling on the counter, and thought to myself, “they look good to me!” She, on the other hand, was devastated, and running late.

“I'm supposed to leave in a few minutes,” she said, half dressed in the kitchen and looking at the clock. She set two potholders down on the counter for brownies that were due out of the oven in twelve minutes.

The Raspberry Coffee Cake Muffins looked delicious even with the raspberry filling oozing onto the baking pan. I attempted to ease her embarrassment, but it was futile. While my friend finished getting ready for the dinner party, I sampled a muffin. It was delicious. “Sure people eat with their eyes, but these taste great!” I said. “They know you're a good cook, and won't care if they don't look perfect.” After a lot of convincing, she agreed to take six of the muffins along with the pan of fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies.

Several days later, I asked her what the response was to the desserts she brought to the dinner party. She smiled and said everyone loved the flavorful muffins, and she should have brought them all.

The lesson: Don't judge the muffin by the appearance of oozing raspberry filling.

Raspberry Coffee Cake Muffins

½ cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup melted butter

½ cup milk

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 ½ cup flour

1 can of raspberry filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together all ingredients except

raspberry filling.

Grease muffin pans and fill ¾ with

batter. Place a spoonful of filling

on top of batter, gently swirl with

a knife.

Bake 30-35 minutes until center

springs back when touched.

Raspberry

Coffee Cake Muffins

by C.K. Kochis