Blueberry Muffins

July 11: National Blueberry Muffin Day

When we traveled to Maine to visit our goddaughter, Keira B., and her family, we had the opportunity to drive around the quiet countryside and see moose on the loose, serene lakes, vibrant lupin fields and wild berries (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) along the way. In fact, during its annual summer harvest, the state produces more than 90 percent of America’s wild blueberry crops growing naturally in 60,000 acres. As we reminisced about our time spent in the Maine wilderness with Keira and her family, we baked up a batch of classic blueberry muffins for our blog to celebrate National Blueberry Muffin Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Yankee Magazine)

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups of fresh blueberries
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar.  Stir in the milk and egg. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and combine well.

Gently fold in the blueberries to the batter. Fill a well-greased muffin tin (or use cupcake paper liners) about 2/3 full.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the muffins to wire rack to cool.

Notes

• Add a few fresh blueberries on top the batter before baking for a burst of flavor.
• Sprinkle coarse sugar crystals on top of the batter before baking for a crunchy sweetness.
• Blueberries are a superfruit that is high in antioxidants. Learn more about their health benefits and nutritional value from the Wild Blueberries website.
• Search our blog for other recipe posts on blueberries.