Ali's Kitchen: Summertime Blueberry Muffins

Summer is the time when time can stand still. We capture small snippets of moments that take us back to our childhood. Starting the day with the warm sun, fresh blueberry muffins and great coffee is one way to take a step back and relax.

Now, I don't mean the muffins of yesteryear. Which are theoretically cake, with a few berries thrown in. I'm talking about muffins that when you plunge your fingers into it to separate the tender bottoms from the crispy top your fingers come out blue. Licking that blueberry stain off your fingers, pure heaven.

Sara Foster of Foster's Market clearly has the right idea. Her recipe is by far the blueberriest recipe you will ever come across. She uses chopped blueberries, quickly pulsed in your food processor, along with whole berries. I am going to give you her recipe with just a few altercations I've made along the way to make it standout just that much more. Now, look and enjoy.

Now for the recipe. . .

Summertime Blueberry Muffins

(Adapted slightly from Sara Foster's Blueberriest Blueberry Muffins)

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of fine salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 large eggs

3/4 cup of milk

grated zest and juice of one lemon

2 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of lemon extract or oil (optional)
about 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar with one teaspoon cinnamon mixed in for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 400. You will reduce your oven temperature after the initial 15 minutes to 350 degrees. Line your muffin pan with liners and/or spray with nonstick spray. (I personally like to do both). Sift your dry ingredients together, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Melt your butter and let it cool. Bring your eggs to room temperature by soaking them in warm water for five minutes. Add the wet ingredients together, butter, milk, eggs, lemon, zest and extracts.

Pulse one cup of your blueberries in the food processor just till chopped.

Now combine your wet and dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix.

Gently fold in your chopped blueberries with the remaining one and a half cups of blueberries.

Use a one third measuring cup, if available, to scoop out muffin batter into lined muffin pan.

Sprinkle turbinado sugar with cinnamon mixed in on top.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400, then turn down oven temperature to 350. Continue cooking another ten minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin's center comes out clean.