Fresh Blueberry Muffins

So this week I made a dessert that brought me back home to Maine: blueberry muffins! I bought a pint of blueberries for my panna cotta topping earlier this week and, "Oh no! What do I do with the rest?" Well, we've been too busy in the mornings to make pancakes lately, so what better than to make some muffins to take on-the-go! Though these were pretty delicious and exploded with yummy blueberry heaven, I might bake them just a tad longer next time. Tip: When adding fresh fruits or fillings to muffins, cake or cupcakes, you want to cook them just a little longer and sometimes even add a little bit more leavening (i.e. baking powder/soda) because the fruit pieces tend to work against even heat distribution inside the batter, and cause them to take longer to rise properly. You could probably throw in fresh raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries instead if you want. Just remember that you will have to play around with baking times for each. Also, these muffins are "low in sugar." Most blueberry muffin recipes tend to use about 1-1.5 cups of sugar, I only use about 3/4 cup. While its by no means 'diet' its still less and allows the blueberries to provide most of the sweetness. :)

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• a dash of ground cloves
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (mine were rather large mmm)
• a couple tbsp sugar for topping

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the cups of a muffin pan with shortening, or line with muffin cups.

2.In a medium bowl or mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg.

3. Combine the dry ingredients and add to mixture portions at a time, alternating with milk.

4. Fold in the blueberries, careful not to mash them.

5. Fill the muffing cups 2/3 full (I didn't use paper cups, so I just like to fill them to the top). Sprinkle tops with a bit of sugar to crust. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few stray crumbs. If you did not use muffin cups, let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to rack, if you used cups, remove immediately and cool on rack.

Photos by The Chocolate Cookie.