:: Muffin, Muffin who’s got the Muffin ::

Blueberry Muffins

:: Megann’s Kitchen ::

:: blueberry muffins freshly baked and cooling ::

I must say I have been spoilt with my exposure to blueberries. We owned a blueberry farm when I was growing up and so I was able to eat them handfuls at a time, at any time I wanted. During the summer months I was able to pick these beautiful blue beads from the bush at will and in winter our freezer was always stocked with at least 3 20kg boxes of them. Remember how Bubba on Forest Gump from the shrimp boat and he had everything shrimp? That was our family and blueberries & I looovvved them. I can’t stand the fact that I have to pay for a teeny tiny little punnet now. Sacrilege.

My love for blueberry muffins started as soon as we harvested our first crop and my mother would whip up a batch of traditional American blueberry muffins on the weekends. I remember eating them warm, with the berries still molten hot, & a generous slathering of butter, which was a must when it came to our household. The joy these muffins would bring to a small young child.... ooh, heaven!

This particular recipe comes from Donna Hay, but I will continue to post my favourite blueberry recipes, particularly in summer, & when I get permission from my mother! If you have a favourite, let me know!

2 cups of plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup caster sugar

1 cup of sour light cream

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

pinch of sea salt, optional

:: Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your muffin tins with baking paper or by greasing them. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the caster sugar. In another slightly larger bowl, add the sour cream, eggs, lemon rind & oil & whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture until it is just combined. Add blueberries & stir through once as you don’t want to change the colour of the mixture. Use two tablespoons (one to pick up your mixture and one to neatly push it off your spoon) to place the mixture into your prepared non-stick muffin trays. I sometimes like to line mine with crisp, white liners. Bake for 14 minutes or until cake tested with a skewer and golden on top.

:: just combine & spoon into prepared tins ::

:: add fresh or frozen blueberries to your mixture ::

:: With any leftover batter that doesn’t fit into the prepared tins I tend to make mini muffins for my toddler, which are a hit. His favourite word at the moment is “cake, cake, caaaaaaaaake”, & the smile that comes across his face when I hand him one of these treats is priceless. These also freeze well for snacks on the run.

:: toddler sized blueberry muffins- great for snacks ::

Serve: The best way to serve your muffins is fresh out of the oven, after about 15 mins of cooling, with a generous slathering of real, salted butter that melts as you bite into it.

Kitchen Notes: I have sometimes substituted the sour cream with natural yoghurt, or half-half when I haven’t had the complete ingredients in my fridge.

:: Always remember for a soft, moist muffin that rises to their full potential, stir the ingredients until it is just combined. Overworking your mixture activates the gluten, making it tough and dry.

Blueberries: It seems blueberries have every health benefit you could want in a tiny fruit. They are an antioxidant powerhouse, are cardio protective, help protect against macular degeneration and help with vision in general, you have a better learning capacity and lower stress levels while eating blueberries and are less likely to develop various cancers. Blueberries are high in vitamin C, manganese, dietary fibre & Vitamin E.

It is noted due to oxalates in blueberries that if you have untreated gallbladder or kidney problems, they are best avoided in large quantities.

Source: Blueberry Information: World Healthiest Foods Web Site