Recipes

Blueberry Muffins

Whether sweet or savory, adorned with garnishes or served plain, muffins are an American favorite.  And, who's to say they're just for breakfast?  Muffins make any snack time, lunch or dinner a little more special.  Whipping up a batch is quick and easy, especially with a few tips from The Culinary Institute of America® and a tasty blueberry muffin recipe.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400° degrees F.  Spray muffin pans lightly with cooking spray or use paper liners to line the pans.  Sift the 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, blend the milk, egg and vanilla extract.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and smooth in texture, 3-4 minutes.  Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to blend the batter evenly.  Increase the speed to medium and mix the batter until very smooth, 2 minutes.

In a bowl, scatter the 2 tablespoons flour over the berries and toss to coat them evenly.  Working by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold the blueberries into the batter, working gently and just long enough to distribute the berries evenly.

Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups.  Bake until the top of a muffin springs back when lightly pressed, 18-20 minutes.

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove them from the pan and cool completely.

Variations

Blueberry Bran Muffins
Replace 1/2 cup of the flour with wheat or oat bran.  If you like, you can also replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/3 cup honey.  These muffins will be denser and less cakelike than the original version.

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
In a bowl, blend 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup tightly packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  With your fingertips, a pastry knife, or short pulses in a food processor, cut 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter into the dry ingredients until the streusel is crumbly.  Scatter a generous tablespoon of the streusel over each muffin before baking.

Nutrition information per muffin:
210 calories, 4 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 170 mg sodium, 45 mg cholesterol, less than 1 g fiber.

This recipe is from The Culinary Institute of America's® Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America®, which is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or at www.ciachef.edu.