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I again lucked out and got assigned snack duty at the foodie tot’s preschool for Valentine’s week. Sure it was for Wednesday, but the impending snow storm made it likely that they won’t have school on the day of, anyway. I had picked up these cute Valentine’s heart mini cupcake liners so muffins were an obvious choice — and I thought a whole raspberry inside the muffin would go over well in a crowd of three-year-olds.

I’m pleased to report that not only did the class enjoy them, the foodie boy yelled “It was AWESOME!” when asked about the surprise packed in his lunch box. These are sweet and simple, and I served them with some baby red pepper slices to continue the naturally red theme.

Recipe: Raspberry Mini Muffins

Adapted from Serious Eats
Makes 24 mini muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 24 raspberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or place liners in a 24 cup mini muffin tin.
2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter with sugar and whisk until smooth. Stir in egg, milk and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. With a teaspoon, fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Place one raspberry, open side down, in each cup. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until edges are golden and a toothpick come out clean. Let cool in pan.

Looking for more naturally red Valentine’s inspiration? Here are a few more recipes from around the web.

• Stuffed Strawberry French Toast from She Wears Many Hats
• Raspberry Roulade with Chocolate Ganache from A Spicy Perspective
• Crème Fraîche Cherry Ice Cream from Vermont Creamery
• Roasted Strawberry Fruit Dip with Dark Chocolate from The Scrumptious Pumpkin
• Chocolate Chip Beet Cake via Heavy Table