Berry Trifle Muffins

Berry Trifle Muffins are the perfect summertime treat- a light and fluffy muffin stuffed with fresh berries. Inspired by Raspberry Swirl Cupcakes from Eating Well, these delectable muffins are made of an amazing vanilla gluten free muffin batter with a hint of lemon. When your guests bite into the tasty muffins, they will get the delightful surprise of a layer of fresh raspberries and strawberries. The berry filling make these muffins look extra special yet they’re really pretty easy to make. The ingredients list  might look a little complicated but I broke it down into different components so that it is easy to follow as you’re baking.  To save time, you can also grind the oats ahead of time,  and store the oat flour in a covered container until ready to use.

Berry Trifle Muffins
Gluten Free
Makes 12 Muffins
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients:
Berry Filling--
3 ounces fresh strawberries (approximately 1/2 cup whole berries), roughly chopped
6 ounces fresh raspberries (approximately 1/2 cup whole berries)
1 tablespoon granulated Truvia

Muffins--
Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup gluten free oats, pulsed in the food processor until they reach a flour-like consistency
1 cup gluten free flour mix
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Creaming Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated Truvia
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or substitute with canola oil)
1 tablespoon pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon nonfat Greek yogurt
Egg Mixture:
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute (like the kind by Egg Beaters)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 a small lemon
Buttermilk:
juice of 1/2 a small lemon
1/2 cup unsweetened original almond milk (like the kind by Silk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners, then spritz the liners lightly with nonstick spray. Set pan aside.  Make the buttermilk by adding almond milk to a liquid measuring cup. Whisk in lemon juice, then set aside while you prepare the other ingredients (buttermilk will be mixed into batter later in the recipe).



2. To make the berry filling, add strawberries and raspberries to a fine a mesh strainer and toss with Truvia. Place strainer oover a bowl to let berries macerate while you prepare the muffins.





3. To prepare the dry ingredients for the muffins, add all  dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl (oat flour, flour mix , baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Whisk until ingredients are well combined.





5.  Add creaming ingredients (Truvia, oil, pumpkin, and yogurt) to the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a mixing bowl to use with a hand mixer).  Cream ingredients together until smooth and combined.





6. Add egg mixture ingredients ( egg substitute, vanilla, and lemon zest) to creamed mixture and continue to mix until all ingredients are blended.



7. With the mixer set on low speed, add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients mixture. Once dry ingredients are just combined, add 1/2 of the buttermilk and mix until just incorporated into batter. Stop mixer to scrape down sides, then repeat theprocess--add about of the 1/3 of dry ingredients, and the remaining buttermilk, mixing each part over low speed until just combined. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl, then mix in final 1/3 of dry ingredients, mixing until all ingredients are combined.







8. To finish the filling, use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to mash berries in the strainer until you have a chunky puree, with the liquid strained out. Scoop out 1/2 cup of berry puree to use for the muffin filling (save any extra puree for another use).





11. To assemble muffins, place the berry puree and the bowl of batter beside prepared muffin tins. Use a large cookie dough scoop (1.5 Tbsp. capacity) to scoop a layer of batter into each muffin tin. ( I have this scoop, but you can also just use a heaping tablespoon).




12. Use a small cookie dough scoop (2 tsp. capacity) to add 1 scoop of berry puree to the center of each muffin ( Again, I have this scoop, but you could also use a teaspoon or small spoon to measure about 2 teaspoons).







13. Finally, use the large scoop again add a scoop of muffin batter to cover the  berry puree. 





14.  Bake muffins for 23-25 minutes, or until tops spring back when touched and cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan 2-3 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on cooling rack.






15. Enjoy muffins immediately or wrap each muffin in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store in a gallon sized bag in the refrigerator. You can also freeze muffins (individually wrapped and in a freezer safe bag or container) up to 1 month.





Nutrition Information--approximately 88 calories per muffin





Note: While not completely necessary for making these muffins, cookie scoops make the process a lot faster. If you don’t have any, I would recommend checking them out! I use my scoops for everything from vegetarian meatballs to truffles. I have the 2 teaspoon and the 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoops by OXO.