Raspberry Sorbet

For my mother's birthday this year I combined a few of her favorite ingredients into a fabulous dessert: coffee cocoa cake with a homemade raspberry sorbet.

Sorbets are incredibly easy to make if you own an ice cream maker, though high in sugar. All natural fresh fruit is a plus if you can just ignore the pounds of sugar going into it!

Here's what you need:

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
pinch of salt
4 cups frozen raspberries, thawed

Prepare a simple syrup with the water and sugar by combining both in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook mixture until sugar is fully dissolved.
Once the syrup is ready, add salt and raspberries. Blend mixture until smooth. The tricky part is straining out the seeds. It took me a lot longer because I was using such a tiny mesh strainer. You can use a spatula to help press the mixture through. Discard seeds.



Cover and chill in refrigerator for 4 hours or over night.
Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions. Mine only takes 15 or so minutes.
Freeze until firm, then enjoy!


(Makes 5 cups. A 1/2 cup serving contains 140 calories and 2 grams fiber.)

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Muffins

I love raspberries and chocolate (like my mother.) I love making these dessert muffins, and they are perfect for Valentine's Day.

What you'll need:

2 C flour (or whole wheat)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 C sugar
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 C plain yogurt
1/2 C water
2 eggs
3.5 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped--the first time i made these i substituted regular chocolate chips and they worked fine
5 oz raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 T granulated sugar
powdered sugar for dusting



1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
2. Melt the butter and remove from heat. Stir in yogurt and water, then add eggs one at a time, stirring well.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry well and combine.
4. Fold chocolate and raspberries into batter and pour into muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.





Remove from oven, let cool, and dust with powdered sugar.