I'll try them this week. I noticed the recipe is for a mini muffin pan and they look nice on a tray. The one I had was a regular muffin size so I think they changed it a bit. Either way they sound like a great recipe to keep and good for the coming holidays. Will post my results. Thanks.

These were good! I got the recipe at Recipezaar. It's the orange zest that makes it a success! I baked in at 375 F for 22 minutes. Might work with cranberries too. Next time, I'm going to add a little orange extract. Just a bit to add a little more orange flavour.. cuz I really like it.LOL Raspberry Orange Muffins 1 cup milk 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (I used 2 tsp) 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large eggs 2 cups flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 tsp) 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (or blueberries) Preheat oven to 400 F; line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In small bowl, combine milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl; add milk mixture and stir just until blended; fold in raspberries (I added about 1 tablespoon of flour to the frozen berries so that they don't sink to bottom of muffin). Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until golden and tester comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

Oh yeah, my favorite dessert, I love this stuff, I'm just waiting for pears to be ready here. I don't always make individual servings, I put it into one big pan.  Individual Maple Pear Cobblers Courtesy of: Rebecca Rather, Chef, Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe 6 servings 3 pounds pears, peeled, cored, quartered 2/3 cup + 9 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 9 tablespoons whipping cream melted butter sugar to taste nutmeg to taste For the filling, combine the pears, 2/3 cup syrup, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among 6 custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place a pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until heated through. For the topping, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the cream, 9 tablespoons syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla and process until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the hot filling. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Bake for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown. I also can this, my favorite preserves, thanks to Readinglady: Old Fashioned Pear Preserves from Carol (Readinglady) Yu can also make Pear Preserves if you want chunks of pear suspended in syrup. By weight use equal amounts of pears and sugar. You also need the juice and seeds of one lemon. I wouldn't go over about 4 pounds of fruit because it takes too long to cook larger amounts. This takes several days, but it's mainly waiting and the results are wonderful. Here's what you do: Day 1: Peel, core and cut firm-ripe pears into chunks or slices. Leave pieces large enough to retain character in preserves. Place pears in acidified water (Fruit Fresh or Ascorbic Acid). Rinse and drain pears. Place in large bowl and add sugar equal in weight to pears. Add juice of lemon and place pips (seeds) in small bag. It's messy but I also add any of the pulp that was reamed out. Add to bowl. Stir gently to distribute syrup and refrigerate overnight. Throughout evening stir occasionally to distribute sugar. (I usually don't do this more than once.) Day 2: Place macerated pears and sugar syrup with lemon seeds in bag in large pan. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes, skimming foam. Reduce temperature and continue to cook (about 20 minutes) until pears are translucent and candied. Turn off heat and leave pears and syrup overnight. (This can be room temperature.) Cover pan with a cloth, not a lid (to prevent condensation). Day 3: Using a slotted spoon lift pears from syrup and place in a strainer. Collect any additional syrup in a bowl beneath the strainer. (I drained syrup left in pan into a bowl and washed the pan because the syrup was crystallized along the rim then I put the syrup back.) Bring syrup to a boil and cook to gel point stirring frequently. (Depending on how thick you want the syrup, this can be anywhere from 218-222°.) You can also use the frozen plate test. The advantage is you get to thicken the syrup just the way you like without cooking the delicate pears to the point of disintegration. Return the pears to syrup and boil 1 minute to reheat them. Pull off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This allows fruit to equalize with the syrup so it doesn't float to the top of the jar.) Place preserves in sterilized jars and BWB 5 minutes or clean, hot jars and BWB 10 minutes. Yum, I LOVE pears.... Annie

Michelle - thanks for the recipe. I will add it to my collection. I found some other good tips on making muffins in my web search. I had known about most of these in the past. I found this information on several websites and consolidated it here. If anyone else has some tips to add please list them. Thanks. Clare TIPS Sift all dry ingredients. Measure flour accurately. Sift with the other dry ingredients. Don't over mix. Put all dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet in another. Create a well in the dry ingredients and barely mix in the wet. Use very few strokes and don't worry about lumps. Mix by hand. Never use a mixer or it will create too much gluten. Mix by hand and resist the urge to make the batter look uniformly mixed. Little clumps of flour are good. Cake method vs Muffin method. Cake method is creaming the butter with the sugar, and the muffin method is when wet ingredients are added to the dry. Buttermilk or Yogurt. Use these instead of milk to make a lighter crumb. Baking Powder. Most muffins recipes call for baking powder. It works with the heat of the oven to cause lift which helps to create a light crumb. Make sure it is fresh not old. Fresh baking powder should be good for three to six months once you open the container. To test the vitality of your baking powder, add a teaspoon of it to a third of a cup of hot water. If it foams and bubbles, it has enough oomph left. If it just sits there, it's time to run to the store or you can make your own. Combine a tablespoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar and 1-1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. It may not have the same potency as a good store-bought double-acting baking powder, but it will serve in a pinch. Substitutions. Using applesauce or prune puree in place of oil or melted butter often causes leadenness. Grease only the bottoms not the sides. If you grease the sides, the muffins may not rise as well and this will make them dense. Or use muffin papers. Make sure the oven is hot enough. Especially in the beginning of baking. You want a blast of heat the first 10 minutes to make the lift happen. Some people set the oven 25 deg. hotter than the recipe calls for and then turn it down to the proper temp. when you put the pan in the oven. Do not open the door to check on the muffins during the first 10 minutes. (I used my convection oven setting and it may have helped with the lift.)