Choc Chip and Sweet Cherry Yogurt Muffins

 

Day 6 of National Vegetarian Week and Yogurt Week.

Yes this is the first Yogurt Week here in the UK and it just so happens to fall on the same week as Veggie Week, which was set up by The Yogurt Council to celebrate all things yogurt.

There are so many ways you can enjoy yogurt – it's versatile, convenient and a great food staple for all the family. It's such a healthy ingredient and I always have a big tub of Greek Yogurt and some smaller tubs of flavoured yogurt in my fridge. The Greek I serve with fruit, in smoothies and in baking.

Today I have made some Choc Chip and Sweet Cherry Yogurt Muffins. They are golden, sweet and delicious, with bites of sweet dark chocolate and tangy hints of cherry.

They are adapted from one of my mum's old handwritten recipes, so it must be pretty old, but I don't know where it came from.

I've found that muffins made with yogurt don't rise as much as those without but as long as you don't over stir the batter, they will be light and fluffy.

also try - blueberry ginger muffins

 

Now for some yogurt facts:

• Yogurt contains a range of nutrients important in a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
• Yogurt is one of the oldest foods developed by man.  
• Yogurt is believed to have been eaten since 10,000 to 5,000 BC. 
• It is probable that the earliest yogurt was made by accident in Mesopotamia around 5,000 BC, when milk-producing animals were first domesticated. By 2,000 BC it is estimated that about half of the human population was accustomed to eating dairy products.    

Also try Vegan Strawberry Milkshake Muffins & Easy Vegan Lemon Muffins

print recipe

Choc Chip and Sweet Cherry Yogurt Muffins

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

May 24, 2014

 

Mini golden muffins made with Greek yogurt and studded with dark chocolate chips and sweet cherries.

Ingredients

• 300g self-raising flour
• ½ baking powder
• 250g butter
• 240g Greek yogurt, made up to 250g with milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 100g dried sweet cherries, chopped
• 100g dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 f/200 c/180 c fan/gas 6.2. In a pan, melt the butter, let it cool a little, then add the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix well.3. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl until frothy.4. Whisk the yogurt mixture into the eggs, then fold in the flour, cherries and chocolate chips. Be careful not to over mix as that will make the muffins heavy. Don't worry about lumps.5. Fill a 12 hole muffin tray. Each hole should be three quarter filled. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if they are ready. It should come out clean.6. Leave them to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tray before moving to a cooling rack to continue cooling. Do the same for the second batch.7. Enjoy!

Details

Total time: 50 mins
Yield: 24 muffins

Recipe of the Day

 

Kale, Mint and Dark Chocolate Chunk Frozen Yogurt

from Veggie Desserts

Catch up on my other posts for veggie week and join in the conversation using #veggieweek and @nvw2014

• Bringing up a Vegetarian Child

• Rocket Hummus

• Falafel, Beetroot and Goats Cheese Wraps 

• Tomato and Basil Gnocchi Bake 

• Mediterranean Pizza with Goats Cheese and Rocket

• Top 10 Veggie Burgers and Sausages

Disclosure: this recipe was commissioned by the Yogurt Council. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own. For further information visit loveyogurt.org and follow @loveyogurtuk on Facebook and Twitter.