by Alexa Cheung
Toronto, ON
It’s
blueberry season, baby! I love snacking on fresh blueberries, blending them
into smoothies, or in these delicious muffins. Since blueberries tend to go bad
pretty quickly, these muffins are the perfect way to use them up. Even though
it’s not getting any warmer, and we’re not currently allowed outside, the
summery flavours of these blueberry and lemon muffins can trick us into feeling
like we’re sipping wine on a picnic blanket. If you’re running low on all-purpose
flour, feel free to substitute with cake flour, which will result in light,
fluffy cupcake-y muffins. Delicious!
(makes 10-12 muffins)
· 1 ½ (190 g) cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
· 2 teaspoons baking powder or baking soda
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 large egg, at room temperature
· 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup (120ml) milk*
· 1/4 cup (60ml) canola or vegetable oil (melted coconut oil)
· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· ¾ cups (75g) fresh or frozen blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, reduce milk to 1/3 cup or 90 ml)
· 1 teaspoon lemon zest
· Optional (but highly recommended!): coarse or granulated white sugar and lemon zest for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray your muffin tin of choice with non-stick spray or line with muffin liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss together flour, baking powder/soda and salt. Mix until all dry ingredients are combined – a 20 second toss to disperse everything together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until combined. Mix in milk, oil, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mixture will be pale and yellow. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix everything together. Avoid overmixing, 30-45 seconds at most! Gently mix until all the flour is off the bottom of the bowl and no big pockets of flour remain. The batter will be VERY thick and somewhat lumpy. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Pour/spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling all the way to the top. Top with a sprinkle of course sugar and lemon zest, if preferred. Bake at 218°C for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 191°C and continue to bake for 12-16 minutes until tops are lightly golden and centers appear set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan before enjoying.
5. Muffins taste best fresh the same day. Store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Muffins freeze well for up to 3 months.
Social Distanziner - Toronto, ON