Blueberry Muffins: They are good but I want great

I tried my hand at blueberry muffins this week after spying blueberries at a good price at the supermarket. I thought they would be nice for Roe to take with him in the morning for breakfast to go with his daily coffee he picks up on his way to work. I consulted two of my cookbooks for a basic recipe, Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything. For some reason the recipe from the Joy of Cooking struck a chord with me, plus they had a whole section regarding cooking tips and ingredients for muffins. While the muffins were good they were not up to the level I wanted. I thought they were a little lacking in the sweetness department and the texture could have been a little more like cake for my liking. (I know to some muffin enthusiasts that there should be a clear distinction between the texture of muffins and cake because they are not one in the same. But hey I like what I like.) Unfortunately I was being a lazy girl and did not do my usual due diligence and look up a recipe on the Martha Stewart website. When I went there today I found what I think sounds like a better recipe, more to what I am looking for in terms of sweetness and texture.

I think this recipe from Joy of Cooking is good but I am definitely going to try Martha's. (Oh why did I forsake you Martha?!) I have found that 8 times out 10 Martha usually has the best baking recipes.

Here are some of the pointers I picked up from the Joy of Cooking though on muffins:

• Once you master a basic muffin recipe you can make tons of variations by using different add ins (berries, nuts, etc). I will share with you the basic recipe below and the modification to make blueberry.
• Mixing should be at a minimum so as not to develop gluten in the flour which will toughen the muffin. ;( However, the MS recipe listed below is mixed more like a traditional cake so go figure.
• Muffins that are served hot from the oven can have less oil or butter. If you are making them ahead for consumption later more butter is advised.

Blueberry Muffins (Courtesy of Joy of Cooking)

Makes 12 regular muffins or 6 large.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Whisk together thoroughly in a bowl

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• (1/4 teaspoon of grated or ground nutmeg - optional and I omitted)

Whisk together in another bowl

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of milk or cream
• 2/3 cup of sugar or packed light brown sugar (for the blueberry variation they advised to use 1/3 of a cup)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of butter melted or vegetable oil (I used a 1/2 cup of butter since I was making them ahead for consumption later)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Add to flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes. If making blueberry muffins fold in 1 1/2 cup (I used 1/2 pint) of fresh or unthawed blueberries. Do not over mix and the batter should not be smooth. Divide batter among muffin cups. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake until toothpick inserted in muffins comes out clean - about 17-20 minutes.

Now here is the recipe from Martha I want to try next time. If you try it let me know what results you get.

Blueberry Muffins (courtesy of Martha Stewart website)

Ingredients

Makes 6 large or 12 small muffins

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cups blueberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.butter large (3 3/4 inches) or small (2 3/4 inches) muffin tins, and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, egg yolks, and vanilla; mix until well combined. Reduce speed to low; alternate adding reserved flour mixture and milk to mixer, beginning and ending with flour.

Remove bowl from mixer; gently fold in berries by hand. 

Divide batter among muffin tins; sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until light golden, about 45 minutes for large muffins, about 30 minutes for small muffins. 

Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan; transfer to wire rack, and let cool completely.