Lemon Glazed Blueberry Muffins January 30, 2010

As I was eating these I was thinking out loud that I should’ve put some of the zest directly into the batter – something that I’ll definitely try next time.  Phil seemed to think they were fantastic though, and I can’t say that I disagreed.  A yummy way to start off a cold and snowy Saturday morning.

Makes 12 muffins.

This recipe does not require a standing mixer, but when making the batter, be sure to whisk vigorously in step 2, then fold carefully in step 4. There should be no large pockets of flour in the finished batter, but small occasional sprays may remain. Do not overmix the batter.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt

1 large egg

1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

1 ¼ cups sour cream (10 ounces)

1 ½ cups frozen blueberries , preferably wild

1 teaspoon lemon zest or grated fresh ginger

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined.
3. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 steps, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 steps, whisking just to combine.
4. Add frozen berries to dry ingredients and gently toss to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick). Do not overmix.
5. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time.
6. While muffins are baking, mix lemon zest or grated fresh ginger and 1/2 cup sugar in small bowl.
7. Bring lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat; simmer until mixture is thick and syrupy and reduced to about 4 tablespoons.

Remove muffins from oven onto wire rack, stand upright, and cool 5 minutes.

After muffins have cooled, brush tops with glaze, then, working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in lemon-sugar or ginger-sugar.

Set muffins upright on wire rack; serve.

Raisin Bran Muffins November 10, 2009

Years ago, when I was working in Boston, MA I always got my morning, breakfast muffins at Souper Salad.  They had the most unbelievable zucchini/carrot muffins, and bran muffins.  And believe me when I say, I’m NOT a veggie girl.  By any stretch of the imagination.  So for me to like these you know they must be good.  Since I’ve moved away from MA I’ve tried to find a recipe that comes close to those muffins and as far as the zucchini carrot muffins go, I’ll have to go on trying.  But I’ve finally come across the bran muffin recipe that most closely resembles it.  And now you too can have these yummy (and maybe a little bit good for you?) muffins!

INGREDIENTS

1	cup raisins
1	teaspoon water
2 1/4	cups All-Bran Original cereal (5 ounces)
1 1/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2	cup whole wheat flour (2 1/2 ounces),
2	teaspoons baking soda
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	large egg
1	large egg yolk
2/3	cup packed light brown sugar (4 2/3 ounces)
3	tablespoons mild molasses (or light) (NOTE: I used the molasses in my cabinet with no regard to whether it was mild or not)
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
6	tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled
1 3/4	cups plain whole-milk yogurt (NOTE: I used Stoneyfield whole milk, french vanilla, with cream top, yogurt)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine raisins and water in small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, until raisins are softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer raisins to paper towel-lined plate to cool
3. Process half of bran cereal in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute.
4. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to combine; set aside.
5. Whisk egg and yolk together in medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses, and vanilla; whisk until mixture is thick, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; add yogurt and whisk to combine. Stir in processed cereal and unprocessed cereal; let mixture sit until cereal is evenly moistened (there will still be some small lumps), about 5 minutes.
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with rubber spatula until batter is combined and evenly moistened. Do not overmix.
7. Gently fold raisins into batter.
8. Using 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces of mounds.
9. Bake until muffins are dark golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 

If anyone has a really great recipe for zucchini/carrot muffins – nice, dark, rich ones, please send it to me!!!

Best Blueberry Muffins w/Frozen Blueberries October 25, 2009

Doesn't that look yummy?

I will never make another blueberry muffin after finding this recipe.  Hands down, it’s the best homemade muffin I’ve ever made.  I think it’s the lemon zest and the blueberry topping that make them taste so good.

Note: If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk. Our favorite brands of frozen blueberries are Wyman’s and Cascadian Farm.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon-Sugar Topping
1/3	cup sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
1 1/2	teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2	cups frozen blueberries
1 1/8	cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon
2 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
2 1/2	teaspoons baking powder
1	teaspoon table salt
2	large eggs
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly (1/2 stick)
1/4	cup vegetable oil
1	cup buttermilk (see note)
1 1/2	teaspoons vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

• FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
• FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Rinse remaining cup berries under cold water and dry well.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.
• Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
• Toss dried blueberries in flour mixture. Then, using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into blueberries and flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)
• Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion.
• Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.
• Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17-19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time.
• Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

1. 

   Doesn’t that look yummy?

   

   Ready for the oven

   

   Ready to swirl

   
   

   

   Cooked berries

   

   The batter

   

   Zest mixture