Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

 

It's that time again! This month's Crazy Cooking Challenge is Blueberry Muffins.

I was excited for this challenge because I love baking muffins. The minute I knew what our challenge was I scouring the internet looking for a blog with a delicious recipe.

I found this recipe Alexandra's Kitchen. Let me tell you....these muffins were bursting with blueberry goodness!

I have to confess when I read through the recipe on her site, I didn't know what a meyer lemon was. I just figured I'd use a regular lemon. When I went to the store, lo and behold.....there they were! I've never made muffins with lemon before and now I'm hooked. Each bite had a wonderful lemony taste. The recipe also calls for cake flour. I just used all-purpose.

I noticed that her muffins turned out with a beautiful brown. I baked mine exactly like she stated in her recipe, but mine don't look anything like hers. They were still amazingly delicious! I don't know if it's just my oven or what the problem is. I do know that next time I make these I will bake them longer to get that gorgeous crusty look. I used my handy cake tester and the centers came out perfectly clean. I was afraid if I left them in much longer that they'd burn. I had a slight problem with the muffins sticking to my pan too. I generously sprayed the pan with non-stick cooking spray. I just had to work a little harder to get them out of the pan. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat because they were so good. 

If you like blueberry muffins, definitely give this recipe a try! You won't be disappointed. 

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

(from Alexandra's Kitchen)

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest (I used 2 Meyer lemons)
1 cup + 1 T. sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cake flour (Note: I used all-purpose flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. kosher salt (I used salt that is 50% less sodium)
2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen probably work just as well)
½ cup milk 

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour and sift the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. 

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a jumbo muffin tin with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Distribute batter evenly among muffin holes. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. Let muffins cool in pan for 7 exactly ) minutes before serving. Yield: 6 jumbo muffins.

Be sure to check out all the recipes below. If you'd like to join in the fun of a challenge every month, check it out here. There's no obligation to participate every month. 

I'm the official "Pinterest Pinner" every month. I set up boards and pin all recipes for every challenge we do. You can find these boards here. Pinterest is by invitation only. If you're not on and would like an invite, leave a your email address in the comment section and I'll send you an invite. If you request one from Pinterest it takes forever!

Now, what are you waiting for? Go make these muffins!!

Recipe Of The Day - Apple Caramel Muffins

I've had some requests to post more recipes. Anyone that knows me knows that I have probably more cookbooks than one person needs in a lifetime. I just love to read them! They are one of my addictions and I buy them everywhere I go. I thought what I would do is post one recipe a day from a book and or cooking magazine in my collection. I'll include the name of the book/magazine, author and ISBN number, if available. There won't always be a picture of the recipe unless I've made it. When I moved to Minocqua last October I was only able to bring a few books from my vast collection. The bulk of my cookbooks are still in our house in Minnesota and I can't wait to have them here. Today's recipe is from the cookbook "Mad about Muffins" by Dot Vartan, ISBN 0-8362-6994-2.

Apple Caramel Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 cup peeled and diced apples

Topping

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Add the eggs, milk, and corn oil. Stir just enough to mix the ingredients. Carefully fold in the diced apples. Fill greased muffin tins.

To make the topping, melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Stir in the milk and confectioners' sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla extract and nuts. Spoon over the top of the muffins. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes on dozen muffins.