Blueberry Muffins

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I love when blueberries are BOGO at the grocery store.  V. and I always eat a pint as soon as we get home, if we wait that long. The remaining pints are consumed over the next day or so, and then I return to the store in hopes they are still on crazy sale.

This time I bought four pints, we ate two, and then they started to get mushy.  The only answer to that is to make blueberry muffins.  (It didn't help that Laura was going on and on about the delicious blueberry bread she had..  she's pregnant.  All her posts make me hungry.)

Baking is not my forte.  I was looking for something quick, delicious, and that I could make from all the stuff I have here.  I found Ina Garten's Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins.  The major flaw to these is not the crazy amount of sugar, the complete lack of anything healthy besides blueberries, or the fact that they say "2 half-pints".  No, it is that this is coffee cake and there is no streusel topping.  Honestly, when I started, I only intended to change that.  But then the inevitable happened, and I'm glad it did.

These muffins are amazing - sweet and light and full of berries - and are mostly healthy.  I have done the impossible.




Ingredients:
For the muffins -
12 TBS (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
7-8 oz of baby food or applesauce (I used pear blueberry food, but you could be sneaky and use veggies if you wanted to sneak it into your kiddo, or use yogurt - any flavor.)
1/4 c. Kefir* (or milk)
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pint blueberries

For the streusel -
1/2 stick butter
4 TBS brown sugar
1/2 c whole wheat flour
a few TBS of almonds, minced
a few sprinkles of cinnamon

If quality control is going to eat half the blueberries, double the amount above.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line muffin tins.  I did a mix of regular and mini muffins, using silicone liners.
(This made 12 small muffins and about 16 large muffins... I haven't finished the batch yet, so maybe more...)

If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachement.  If not, do what you do.
Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs in one at a time.
Add in the kefir, baby food, and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix (or sift, but I don't do that...) the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add this to the mixer a little at a time just until it is all incorporated.

Dust your berries with some whole wheat flour.
(They won't sink in the batter if you do!  This works with most stir-ins.)

Don't forget to make  your streusel!  Melt the butter and mix all ingredients together with a fork.

Detach the bowl from your stand and stir in the berries.  Scoop into the muffin pan, filling each cup to just above the top, and top each muffin with some streusel.

Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  The small pan took 15 minutes.

Clean your mixer well.

That went over well.

Enjoy!


* I've been making homemade kefir for about a month now, and we love it.  It is easier than you would think, and costs as much as whatever milk you choose to make it with.  You can use store-bought kefir, too.  Kefir just gives it that extra boost you won't get from milk, and is a little tart.  If you don't have or want to use kefir, buttermilk would be a good substitute.