Blackberries – also known as brambles – are related to raspberries and the two plants have been crossed to produce hybrids such as the loganberry. Wild blackberries are a common feature of British hedgerows, woodlands and waste ground. In autumn their fruits are a source of food for thrushes, blackbirds and other animals…like US…

  • They’re full of fiber. It’s important that you eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber every day. Besides helping with digeImagestion, fiber may reduce your risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, help lower your cholesterol, prevent heart disease, and flatten your belly. Blackberries are an easy (and tasty!) way to get more fiber into your diet — one cup of blackberries equals about 11 grams of fiber.
  • They’re high in vitamins C and K. Eating just half a cup of blackberries gives you 35 percent of your RDA of vitamin C and 25 percent of your RDA of vitamin K.
  • They’re high in antioxidants. It might sound like the name of a dinosaur, but proanthocyanidins are a type of antioxidant that may prevent cancer and heart disease. Lucky for us, blackberries are full of proanthocyanidins.
  • They’re low in calories. Blackberries are about one calorie per berry. That means you can eat a whopping 100 berries for a nutritious and filling 100-calorie snack. Source: Thinkstock

TO DIE FOR BLACKBERRIE MUFFINS…

Original recipe makes 1 dozen (12)

  • To Die For Blueberry Muffins
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Whisk the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

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  2. Mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blackberries. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups, and sprinkle with the raw sugar.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.