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Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

June 10, 2020 by Marisa 70 Comments

Tarallucci al limone are traditional Italian lemon knot cookies from southern Italy. They were very popular at weddings as they symbolize two people “tying the knot” in holy matrimony.

Today you will find them mostly at holidays and family gatherings. You’ll also find other shapes, such as the twist or a single ring form such as the ciambelle cookies.

They were not a typical cookie from my childhood, however most Italian families have a version of these tarallucci al limone.

My first encounter with these soft lemon cookies came from a local bakery and I fell in love with them at first bite! I set out to replicate them at home. However, after a few enquiries, I quickly came to realize that there are many ways to make them.

Some use butter or crisco shortening and others a vegetable oil.

The first time I tried them, I had opted for an oil based cookie and really have never looked back since.

They turned out soft, ever so tender and with a sweet lemon kick.

How to make Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

These Lemon knot cookies are pretty simple to make and with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder and the salt in a medium sized bowl.

Then with a stand mixer or a hand held mixer you’ll beat the eggs and sugar together.

Next in are the oil, cream, vanilla, lemon zests and juice while mixing until combined.

Add in the flour mixture and mix til thoroughly combined.

How to form knots for Italian Lemon Cookies

You can start forming the knots as soon as your tarallucci dough is ready, however if your dough is too soft simply cover it with a plastic wrap and set it aside for 15 minutes.

This will make it easier to roll out and it bears mentioning that the dough is very forgiving. So if you mess up the knots at the beginning, simply re-roll them!

Start by scooping out pieces of dough slightly smaller than a golf ball.

With lightly floured hands, roll the piece of dough out to about 7 inches long.

Twist the dough to form a loop while inserting one end through the loop to form a knot.

Place them about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheet allowing them room to grow.

They don’t spread out too much but puff up rather prettily. When they’re ready they’ll look pale golden in colour with a slight browning on the outer edges.

My oven tends to darken cookies on the outer edge of the baking sheet. However it didn’t change the overall texture of the darker cookies.

Once the tarallucci cookies have cooled, dip them in a lemon glaze and place them on a wire rack to allow the excess glaze to drip off.

Make sure to place the wire rack over a baking sheet to catch all that drip.

Tarallucci can also be topped with sprinkles of your choice. But all you really need to adorn this simple Italian cookie is a luscious lemon glaze.

I love them just the way they are! Easy to make and oh so delicious!

And if you love lemon cookies as much as I do then you’ll adore these Lemon Ricotta Cookies. They’re an Italian classic cookie. So soft and with a melt-in-your-mouth bite!

This recipe was first Published June 19 2016 and republished June 10 2020 with updated content and photos.

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3.13 from 8 votes

Tarallucci al Limone: Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

Tarallucci al Limone are Italian lemon knot cookies and extremely easy to make. These soft to the bite cookies are dipped in a luscious lemon glaze.

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian lemon knot cookies, lemon cookies, tarallucci al limone

Servings: cookies

Calories: 133kcal

Author: Marisa

Equipment

Baking Sheets
Parchment paper

Ingredients

LEMON COOKIE DOUGH

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil vegetable or sunflower oil is also fine
1/4 cup cream I used 15% cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

LEMON GLAZE

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
With a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together for about 1 minute.
Add the oil, cream, vanilla extract, the lemon zest, lemon juice and mix until combined.
Mix in the flour mixture beating for 1 minute til the dough is thoroughly combined.
The dough will be soft and tacky but still easy to work with.
Transfer the dough to a work surface.
Cut off pieces of dough, slightly smaller than a golf ball and roll out into a log about a 1/2 inch wide and 7 inches long.
I start rolling the dough between the palm of my hands while keeping my hands lightly dusted with flour. And then finished rolling the dough out to 7 inches on a work surface.
Twist the dough to form a loop inserting one end through the loop while forming a knot.
Place on the prepared cookie sheet;
Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
I was able to fit 12 onto each pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. When done the cookies should be pale in colour with lightly browned edges.
Let cool on wire rack.

LEMON GLAZE

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice.
Transfer the lemon glaze to a smaller bowl for easy dipping.
Dip cookies one at at time in lemon glaze, letting excess glaze drip off.
Place cookies on cookie rack till glaze is completely set.

Notes

The original recipe was published on June 19, 2016.

I've revised the recipe and republished on June 10, 2020 with a few switch ups to ensure success in your own kitchens.

The flour amount was increased to 3 1/2 cups

I've decreased the oil to 1/2 cup.

I added 1/4 cup of cream.

And I've also added a tad more lemon zest.

You should have a soft and slightly tacky dough to work with and perfectly manageable to shape and knot.

Keep stored in an airtight container.

Cookies freeze extremely well.

Nutrition

Pumpkin Cake Roll

November 9, 2019 by Marisa 55 Comments

Dazzle family and friends with a simple to make yet show stopping Pumpkin Cake Roll! It has all the wonderful aromas of Fall with fragrant spices such as ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. The outer layer is studded with chopped walnuts and the inside layers are filled with a luscious cream cheese frosting.

This pumpkin cake roll with cream cheese frosting has a beautiful density to it that softens while chilling in the fridge.

You’ll want to chill the filled cake roll for at least 4 hours and up to 48 hours.

The longer chilling time allows for the cream cheese filling to set, making it much easier to slice and not have all that luscious filling oozing out.

So, if you need a wonderful make ahead dessert then this cake roll has your name on it!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cake Roll

3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus a little more for dusting over the cake

How to make a Pumpkin Cake Roll

Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan.

Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper. This step will allow the cake to release from the baking sheet effortlessly ( do not skip this step). Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375*F.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, the ground nutmeg and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs on high speed for about 5 minutes until thickened.

Lower to medium speed and gradually add the sugar, beating until it is light in colour and fluffy.

Stir in the pumpkin purée and the lemon juice.

Next, beat in the flour mixture just until combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan using an offset spatula. Sprinkle the finely chopped walnuts evenly over the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.

Meanwhile, lay out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle generously with icing sugar.

This will ensure that the cake does not stick to the dish towel and will give the cake a pretty appearance.

When ready to fill the cake, unroll from the kitchen towel and spread generously with the cream cheese frosting.

How do I keep my Pumpkin Cake Roll from cracking?

It’s imperative that you roll the cake fresh from the oven as this will ensure no cracks in the layers.

When the cake is done, immediately loosen the edges with a knife and invert it onto the clean kitchen towel (nuts side down) and peel off the parchment paper.

Starting at the short end, roll the cake in the towel and transfer to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes to set the shape.

For the filling, in a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed until it is smooth and then gradually beat in the powdered sugar.

Unroll the cake and spread the filling in a thin layer within 1 inch of the borders.

Firmly roll up the cake using the towel to help if needed. Cover the pumpkin cake roll and chill for 4 to 48 hours.

When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar and trim off edges.

Then simply slice and serve!

What other recipes can I make with Pumpkin Purée?

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

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Pumpkin Cake Roll

A show stopping Pumpkin Cake Roll with all the wonderful aromas of Fall spices, studded with walnuts and filled with a luscious cream cheese frosting.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pumpkin Cake Roll

Servings: to 12

Ingredients

3 large eggs room temperature
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
1/3 cup butter softened
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan.
Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, grease the top of the paper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375*F.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs on high speed for about 5 minutes until thickened.
Lower to medium speed and gradually add the sugar, beating until it is light in colour and fluffy.
Stir in the pumpkin and the lemon juice.
Next, beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan using an offset spatula.
Sprinkle the finely chopped walnuts evenly over the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.
Meanwhile, lay out a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle generously with icing sugar. (This will ensure that the cake does not stick to the dish towel and will give the cake a pretty appearance.)
When the cake is done, immediately loosen the edges with a knife and invert it onto the clean kitchen towel (nuts side down) and peel off the parchment paper.
Starting at the short end, roll the cake in the towel and transfer to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes to set the shape.

Cream Cheese Frosting

For the filling, in a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed until it is smooth and then gradually beat in the powdered sugar.
Unroll the cake and spread the filling in a thin layer within 1 inch of the borders.
Firmly roll up the cake using the towel to help if needed.
Cover the pumpkin cake roll and chill for 4 to 48 hours.
When ready to serve, trim off edges and dust with powdered sugar.
Slice into equal portions and enjoy.

Notes

Recipe adapted from BHG Magazine.

This post was originally published Oct. 10, 2015 and republished Nov. 9, 2019 with updated photos and content.

Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake

September 28, 2019 by Marisa 40 Comments

This simple and deliciously moist Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake is a fall inspired dessert that is just perfect for any day of the week.

The earthy flavour of rosemary lends itself well in combination with the sweet pears and honey. There is just a small amount of this woodsy herb…enough to awaken your taste buds to its subtle fragrance.

This Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake Recipe was originally published September 21, 2016 and republished September 28, 2019 with updated photos and content.

Papa’s pear tree stands proudly in his garden and continues to thrive.

Since his passing, one of the things I miss the most besides his absence…is his garden.

The rows upon rows of plump red juicy tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and glossy purple eggplants.

There were also fig trees with their luscious sweet fruits and a wonderful variety of lettuces and fine herbs.

It was a wonderfully tended garden!

So when my sister gave me loads of these ripe pears from my papa’s tree, I immediately realized that I had more then we could possible consume in a week.

I then came across this Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake from the Bake from scratch magazine. I was immediately intrigued as I had never baked with rosemary before.

We start with a buttery pear compote infused with the chopped rosemary.

The lovely aromatic compote is then cooled and stirred into the cake batter and baked till golden brown in colour.

A Fabulous Fall Dessert

This bundt cake is simple and pretty with a slightly dense texture. And…oh…so moist!

You’ll find that it actually tastes better the next day which makes it a perfect make ahead cake.

That’s so worth considering when planning a large family gathering as this frees up much needed oven space.

And than all that’s needed before serving is a light or generous dusting of powdered sugar for a little extra love and you’ll have a fabulous Fall dessert!

How to make a pear and rosemary compote

In a medium sized sauce pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add in the chopped pear, rosemary and cook for a few minutes until the pears are soft, while stirring occasionally.
Remove the pear and rosemary mixture from the heat and let it cool completely.
It’s so simple yet so flavourful!

How to Remove a Bundt Cake From Its Pan

As a good practice always grease and flour your bundt pans and I’ve got some great tips on how to prep your Bundt pans for baking on my Ciambella, Italian Lemon Sponge Cake recipe.
Once your cake is baked, allow it to cool in its pan while resting on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. If you let it sit too long in the pan, it will start to stick from the dampness as its cooling off.
Before inverting the cake, loosen the edges with a butter knife or thin rubber spatula if needed.
Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and gently tap around the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the cake further.
Lift the pan off the cake and allow the cake to cool completely before dusting with the powdered sugar.

If you love herbs in sweet baked goods then this Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake is definitely for you!

Other Fabulous Fall Inspired Desserts You’ll Love:

Happy baking everyone!

Print Recipe

Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake

A deliciously moist pear Bundt cake, scented with honey and rosemary.

Course: Bundt Cake

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake

Servings:

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened and divided
2 cups peeled and chopped pear
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt I used fine sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup honey
Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt pan and set aside.
In a medium sized sauce pot, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add in the chopped pear, rosemary and cook for a few minutes till the pears are soft, stirring occasionally.
Remove the pear and rosemary mixture from the heat and let it cool completely.
In a large bowl using a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the remaining 1 cup of butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla at medium speed till fluffy. About 4 minutes.
Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and the salt.
In another smaller bowl combine the milk and honey together and whisk well.
Slowly add in the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk mixture. Start and end with flour mixture, beating just until combined.
Stir in the pear and rosemary mixture.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
Bake for about 1 hour or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Slightly loosen the cake around the edges with a knife or offset spatula and invert onto a wire rack.
Let the cake cool completely and dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Bake from scratch Magazine

Amaretto Biscotti

March 1, 2019 by Marisa 11 Comments

Delightfully tender and crumbly, these Amaretto Biscotti are chock full of roasted almonds, chocolate coated almonds and drizzled with more chocolate.

This Amaretto Biscotti post was originally published January 12, 2015 and republished March 1, 2019 with updated photos and content.

I have a love affair with biscotti! My guilty pleasure! Well…one of them, I may have a few more.

This Italian, twice baked cookie is very popular in coffee shops.

Why buy them though, when you can just as easily make your own! They’ll be far more superior to the store bought ones.

I always feature at least one flavour on my sweet table or cookie platter during the holidays. But then again, I really don’t need much of an excuse to bake them any time of the year.

Nowadays I much prefer one flavour of biscotti or another rather then a chocolate chip cookie.

They’re really not complicated to make at all and perfect for beginners.

You can slice and bake them into long and elegant shapes or shape, slice and bake them into mini morsels as I have done with this recipe.

Unlike some rock hard biscotti which require dunking in milk, coffee or even wine, these are made with butter and have a more tender bite but still remain crunchy.

They’re simply wonderful all on their own.

However, a light drizzle of both the dark and white chocolate adds an extravagant touch of elegance.

Brew a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures.

TIPS FOR PERFECT AMARETTO BISCOTTI

First off, I prefer to roughly chop the both the almonds and the chocolate covered almonds. This allows far easier slicing with cleaner cuts.

After the initial first bake do allow the biscotti logs to cool for about 10 minutes for easy slicing. This makes the biscotti more pliable to a sharp knife.

Make sure you’re on a steady cutting board. With the tip of the knife pointed downwards, slice at a diagonal in one fluid motion.

I prefer to stand the biscotti slices upright for the second bake. This allows them to crisp on both sides without having to turn them over and risking breakage.

Allow the biscotti to cool completely before drizzling them with the melted chocolate. This helps the chocolate set much quicker. However, you can just as easily place the chocolate drizzled biscotti tray in the fridge if pressed for time.

They’re at their best stored in an air tight container for about one week and freeze well.

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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Amaretto Biscotti

Delightfully tender and crumbly, these Amaretto Biscotti are chock full of roasted almonds, chocolate coated almonds and drizzled with more chocolate.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Amaretto Biscotti

Servings: mini biscotti

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup roasted almonds roughly chopped
1 cup chocolate covered almonds roughly chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chopped
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lina a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in colour. For about 2 minutes or so.
Beat in the eggs, amaretto liqueur, almond and vanilla extracts until combined.
With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
Stir in both the roasted almonds and the chocolate covered almonds.
On a lightly floured surface divide the biscotti dough in four equal portions.
With lightly dusted hands, roll each portion into a 12 inch log and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes. The logs will be a light golden colour with firm tops.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees.
Once cooled, slice each log crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces.
Place upright on the baking sheet and return to the oven for the second bake.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool before drizzling with the melted chocolate.
Place both chocolates into 2 small separate bowls and melt in the microwave at 20 second intervals.
If your chocolate is too thick for drizzling, simply stir in a little vegetable oil to thin it out to a drizzling consistency.
Using a small spoon drizzle first the dark chocolate over the sliced biscotti and then the white chocolate.
Let the chocolate set before serving.
I leave the biscotti on the cookie sheet at room temperature to set.
However if your pressed for time you can place the cookie sheet with the biscotti in the fridge to set much quicker.

Notes

Adapted from The food Network Magazine.

Raspberry Crumb Muffins

February 21, 2018 by Marisa 18 Comments

These delightful Raspberry Crumb Muffins are a cross between a very good crumb cake and a delicious muffin!

This muffin recipe has all the characteristics of a very good cake, but with a lovely crumb topping instead of the frosting. Its moist, crumbly and quite able to stand up on it’s own but throw in some fresh raspberries and my goodness…you get a burst of sweetness in every bite.

They make perfect individual sized cakes to pack for those rush and go mornings, but I love savoring these treats with a steaming cup of afternoon tea!

I also love that they’re typically fuss free to bake so you can really whip up some of these sweets on a whim!

You can mix and match different kinds of fruits, whether they’re seasonally fresh or frozen.

I have baked plenty of muffins while my kids were in grade school. It was our absolute favorite Friday evening treat. We’d curl up on the couch with milk and muffins watching our favorite shows on T.V. such as “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, “Boy Meets World” and “Family Matters”. It was our special time while waiting for daddy to come home from work. Oh, how I miss those days!

I’ve tweaked this recipe ever so slightly, which is adapted from The Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook. I’ve substituted the blueberries from the original recipe, for raspberries. I also added some grated lemon zest to both the crumb top mixture and the muffin batter simply for personnel preference.

I find that the lemon zest adds a some extra flavor to the muffins and gives them a little more zing!

Its totally optional but so worth it!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

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Raspberry Crumb Muffins

These delightful Raspberry Crumb Muffins are a cross between a very good crumb cake and a delicious muffin!

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings:

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUMB MIXTURE
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
a half teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
FOR THE MUFFIN MIXTURE
4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
a teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
10 tablespoons Crumb Mix

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together all the CRUMB MIXTURE ingredients by hand or with a food processor, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Refrigerate the crumb mixture until your ready to use it.
This crumb mixture makes 1 1/2 cups, enough for two batches of muffins.
You can also make it ahead of time. It keeps very well for up to two weeks in the fridge or a month in the freezer
Preheat the oven to 350* F.
Line a muffin pan with 10 paper muffin cups.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla.
Add the egg and the lemon zest to the mixture and blend until combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.
Mix in 1/4 cup of the sour cream to the butter mixture, then half of the flour mixture and repeat with the rest of the sour cream and flour mixture. Do not over mix!
Gently fold in the raspberries with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of the Crumb Mix and a raspberry.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, on a middle rack, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool and enjoy!

Notes

These Raspberry Crumb Muffins were adapted from Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook, a restaurant based in New York. I've substituted the blueberries from the original recipe, for raspberries. I also added some grated lemon zest to both the crumb top mixture and the muffin batter