Blueberry Muffins

I am always one to try a new blueberry muffin recipe. I don't think I've ever tried a horrible recipe, but some have definitely been better than others. This particular recipe did not produce a nice muffin crown which I like and it wasn't as moist as I expected with the addition of yogurt. That being said, it is still a good muffin and works perfectly for me this week as I'm eating breakfast on the go.


Blueberry Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbls unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray muffin cups with nonstick spray. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar using high speed of electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each egg. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl and stir in the yogurt. Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring just until mixed, then stir in the berries. Bake on center rack for 30 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I love freshly baked warm muffins on the weekends. I had two containers of fresh blueberries in the refrigerator that was originally meant for fruit salad, but I decided to make muffins this morning instead! I tried a new recipe which turned out fabulous. I didn't make any adjustments for the high altitude and they still turned out really well. These have the perfect balance between the sweetness of the topping and the tart flavor of the blueberries. Enjoy!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries

Streusel:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter or margarine

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine streusel ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Makes 12.

Have blueberries...must make muffins....

One of my favorite things about summer is the availability of fresh berries. I try to include fresh fruit and vegetables in to my diet whenever possible (you need five servings a day!) and during the summer months I typically don't have a problem. I picked up some blueberries at the store the other day thinking I could just nibble on them as a snack. I could eat them by themselves, but I think blueberries are better used mixed in to muffins...pancakes...pies...basically because by themselves they are a little tart, but mixed in to a muffin (or anything else) they are perfect! Okay, so I didn't actually make muffins, but a close second...a Blueberry Loaf Bread from a "Light Cooking for Two" cookbook that I just recently checked out from the library. (May need to look for this one on half.com!) I also made a loaf of banana bread, which followed the same baking directions as the blueberry loaf.

Blueberry Loaf Bread

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Dash of salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls plan nonfat yogurt (I didn't have plain yogurt, so substituted raspberry which turned out very well!)

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, slightly beaten

1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt and next 3 ingredients; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into a 6x3x2 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan immediately, and let cook on a wire rack. Yields 1 loaf.

I had some bananas in the freezer waiting to be made into a banana bread, so I made that this morning as well!

Banana Bread

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Dash of salt

3 Tbls sugar

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Follow same instructions on recipe above!

Review: Both breads turned out very well and I would use these recipes again. The blueberry loaf was more porous than what I was expecting and I could have used a little more banana in the banana bread for a stronger flavor. Neither bread was overly sweet which I feel makes a good breakfast bread. Overall I was pleased with how they came out.