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It is officially Fall now you guys!!! Let me tell you though, it does NOT feel like Fall here in Tennessee. I can't believe how long this Summer has lasted. Don't get me wrong, I love the warmth, carefree, no set plans, vibes of Summer. . . . but I absolutely love, love, LOVE the Fall.
Where we used to live Fall weather lasted for what felt like two weeks before the cold winter wind moved in and we hunkered down for a long stretch of winter. I am hoping it is different here and we can enjoy the crisp air and beautiful colors that the season brings for a little longer.
As the air starts to get a little cooler, my desire for baking goes through the roof! I don't know why I feel the need to dawn my apron and spend the day in the kitchen baking up delicious treats to share, but it happens every year, and I love it!
One of my favorites to make and my families favorites to eat are blueberry muffins.
I can bake a bunch of them up at once and we have a ready to go breakfast or after school snack. Mornings can be a bit rough around here and they start early. Anything I can do to make that process go smoother, you had better bet I am going to take full advantage of!
This recipe is easy to customize to your liking. Sometimes I add lemon zest (like in this version) to the batter, sometimes I do a crumble topping, sometimes I add in blackberries or cranberries. I make it fit my mood for the day. :)
One thing that is absolutely crucial in making these muffins taste so good is the addition of plain yogurt. It makes the muffins soft, springy, and the texture is just right! Seriously Y'all, dont skip the yogurt!
On to the recipe!
My Favorite Blueberry Muffins
Makes about 18 Bake for 15-18 minutes at 375º
Ingredients and instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375º grease your muffin tins liberally including the tops, or use liners.
Combine the following in a bowl
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
Give it a quick mix with your whisk to combine.
In a seperate bowl mix together
3/4-1 cup of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Whisk until it is well combined and creamy looking
Add into the bowl with the eggs
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 cup oil (I use coconut oil most of the time, but vegetable oil is just fine)
1.5 t vanilla extract
Whisk until well combined. Then you are going to add in the dry mixture a 1/2 cup at a time, whisking gently between each addition. Dont over mix your batter, it is ok to have a few small lumps.
Combine
2 cups of blueberries divided in 1 cup portions
1 T All-purpose flour
add
1 T lemon zest
Rinse 1 cup of blueberries and toss in 1 T of flour, Fold into muffin batter along with 1 T lemon zest. (This helps the blueberries to stay suspended in the mixture and not all end up at the bottom of your muffin)
Fill greased muffin tins with batter, filling each cup about 2/3rds full. Use the remaining 1 c blueberries to sprinkle a few on top of each muffin before baking.
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 375º or until lighly brown on top. Please note if you are not using liners that the sides may be more browned than the tops. So don't let a pale muffin top fool you into keeping them in the oven too long!
Take the muffins out of the oven. At this point I like to run a butter knife around the sides of each muffin and unstick any blueberries that may have starting to stick to the top of the muffin tin. Let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes. Turn out the muffins and place on a wire rack to cool. Sneak a bit of one of the steaming hot muffins becuase you just cant wait any longer!
Enjoy the fruits of your labors and make sure to hide some on top of the fridge for later! ;)
I usually end up making a double batch of these and freeze half of them. To do that just be sure that each muffin is completely cool. Place in a single layer in a ziplock freezer bag and store flat in the freezer. I just take one or two out at a time and microwave them on a paper towel for about 30 seconds.