Blueberry Spice Muffins

Checking the mail is a household "to do" I enjoy doing. It's like opening a present every time I walk out to the mailbox. "What's going to be in there today?" I'll ask myself.
It's normally the usual... a bill or two, junk mail, the grocery ads, magazines, and the unexpected Penzeys Spices catalog. Whenever this arrives in the mail I race home to flip through and begin wish listing for spices I'd love to have and marking recipes I want to try.

Needing a breakfast idea I found a recipe for Blueberry Spice Muffins. I knew I needed to make these right then. These muffins are so delicious and packed with blueberries. I used whole wheat flour and decided that next time I needed to double the amount of cinnamon. As usual I messed up and forgot to add the nutmeg. It wasn't missed but I'd like to give them a try with the nutmeg and more cinnamon next time. The tops of these muffins have a cinnamon sugar coating. They are repeat worthy muffins. Possibly the best muffin recipe I've tried. It's a recipe worth keeping.

Blueberry Spice Muffins

Penzeys Spices, Back To School Catalog 2011

Makes 12 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 3/4 cup flour - I used whole wheat flour.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup milk - I used skim milk.
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tbsp sugar, for the topping
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, for the topping

And Action:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For the muffins combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the egg and milk and then add to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter. Stir just until moistened and then fold in the blueberries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until browned and a toothpick that doesn't hit a blueberry comes out clean. Cool a few minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories: 150

Calories from fat: 45

Total fat: 5g

Cholesterol: 25mg

Sodium: 200mg

Carbohydrates: 23g

Dietary Fiber: <1g

Protein: 3g

I will be adding this recipe to my "Stir The Pot" page to join my Blueberry Muffins. 4 down, 21 to go.





Secret Recipe Club - Blueberry Muffins

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the blog, From The Bookshelf. This is a new to me food blog and one that I am happy to have been introduced to.

I had no problem this month deciding what I was going to make. It was a toss up between Uncle Nicky's Gnocchi or Blythe Danner's Blueberry Muffins. The Blueberry Muffins won out when Sunday morning rolled around (yes, I know, big slap on the hand for being one of those Secret Recipe Club members who waits til the last minute to make and blog) and I only needed to run to the store to pick up some all-purpose flour and Itty Bitty and I were ready for breakfast.

The original recipe was out of ,My Father's Daughter, a cookbook by Gwyenth Paltrow. Because of Andrea's blog post I have now added this book to my list of must reads and will keep my eye out for it the next trip to the library.

These Blueberry Muffins were so incredibly easy to make and the flavor was outstanding. Andrea's addition of lemon zest gave these Blueberry Muffins a refreshing bite. Blueberries and lemon are a winning combination every time. They are light and fluffy and a great go to recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

From The Bookshelf

Makes 12 Muffins

Stars of the Show:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk - I used skim milk.
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• zest from 1 lemon
• 2 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried - I ended up using 2 cups blueberries and mashing them.

And Action:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray well with cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk the cooled butter, eggs and milk until everything is incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.

Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir everything together until the batter is smooth and creamy.

Fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.

Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full, dividing the batter evenly amongst all 12 cups. Sprinkle the muffin tops with the remaining teaspoon of sugar. Bake them for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

I'll be marking #1 off of my "Stir The Pot" page. 2 down, 23 to go.

Just a reminder: Don't forget to check out my giveaway for 5 bags of Food Should Taste Good chips You have until midnight on August 22, 2011 to enter. The winner will be announced the following morning. Best of luck y'all!







Simple Muffins

Another recipe from, The Baby Food Bible, that I couldn't wait to try were the Simple Muffins. Itty bitty likes muffins but sometimes he is picky when it comes to fruit or toppings. A simple straight forward muffin sounded perfect for his preferences.

While muffins are generally a breakfast item in our household I felt that these would make for a perfect before nap time snack. Just like the Breakfast Biscuits, these muffins are made with tiny hands, tiny mouths, and tiny appetites in mind. That is what makes these so perfect for snack time.

The no frills approach worked. He loved the muffins. They have the right amount of sweetness to them and were incredibly fluffy. For as simple as they are, they are surprisingly tasty.

Next time I will use this recipe as the base and add in blueberries or chopped peeled peaches and see if he will change his tune toward a fruited muffin.

Simple Muffins

The Baby Food Bible

Makes 6 muffins

Stars of the Show:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp canola oil or melted butter - I used canola oil.

And Action:

Preheat oven the to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin pan. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Mix well. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk, egg, and oil. Stir just until combined, Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.