blackberry muffins

Blackberry and Chia filled healthy muffins

Wonderful easy-to-make healthy muffins for school lunches or an afternoon snack.

Lower sugar, added protein and fibre make these muffins much healthier than some commercial ones.

How can we make berry muffins all year round? As soon as the fresh, organic berries are available, my husband and I go and join in with all the other ‘pick your own’ enthusiasts. It is always fun and there are some great conversations that happen with complete strangers! Sometimes it is with some tourists and we then learn about where they are from. And what reasons brought them to Tasmania for a holiday!

What did we do with all those berries?

So we’ve been madly berry picking and the freezer is completely full. It is time to work out what different things I can make! Most years I’ve not bothered making jam or jelly, but decided this year to do some experimenting. I have had great fun making jams with a hint of liqueur, or fruit chutneys with a zing of chilli!

With the blueberries, I made blueberry and bourbon jam which is full of whole fruit and isn’t sickly like a lot of jams. Blackberry jelly followed. But being curious as to whether I could make fruit toffee, I boiled the last third of it for much longer. The resulting sheet of dark red glass was somewhere between fruit leather and brittle toffee consistency. Malleable enough to make all sorts of edible sculptures but not soft enough to cut with anything except my massive meat cleaver! And it went a bit weird in the fridge too!

And randomly, I was given a challenge to do something with some dark red and very sweet gooseberries. Yes, I had to stop and think because my childhood memories of gooseberries are hairy and green and a pain to pick. I made some jelly and some jam. The slightly more out there experiment was a chilli and gooseberry chutney. The chutney packed a mean punch but it’s fabulous with lamb or pork done on the barbecue.

The favourite muffin recipe!

A favourite berry recipe, though, in the household (and at the office) is this berry and chia filled muffin. Perfect for school lunches and afternoon teas. Or just grabbing off the table straight out of the oven as my husband did!

blackberry muffins

Blackberry and Chia Filled Muffins

Lydia Nuttall
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 12 Muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 220 grams of self raising flour
  • ½ cup castor sugar
  • ¾ cup dessicated coconut
  • ¾ cup rice bran oil
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 250 grams blackberries or berries of your choice
  • juice of half a lemon
  • ½ cup chia seeds

Instructions
 

  • Place blackberries and lemon juice in small microwave safe container and cook on high for 4 minutes.
  • Add the Chia seeds, stir and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 180, and line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin papers.
  • In a larger mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, coconut.
  • In a separate jug, mix the milk, oil and egg until thoroughly combined.
  • Add to the dry ingredients and lightly mix – DON’T over-mix because that makes the muffins tough!
  • Divide half the muffin mixture between the 12 holes, then put the blackberry mixture in, and then top off with the rest of the muffin mixture. Don’t worry if it doesnt seem to be even on the top – it will work out in the cooking.
  • Pop in the oven for 20 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!