Friday, February 6, 2009

Blueberry Muffins

muffinblueberry (4)

I don't think I've made a better muffin, ever. These were were absolutely amazing!! I think I've said this before, but I'm not a fan of muffins mostly because they're either too dessert-like (but suprisingly taste bad considering the amount of fat) or too lean that it's just not worth wasting the calories over. These however, were definitely 'muffin' muffins and packed full of flavour. Every bite had a burst full of blueberry yumminess either from the whole blueberries or the swirled bluberry sauce. Umm.. yes, blueberry sauce, but trust me, it was definitely worth the 5 extra minutes and extra pot to wash. Too bad I didn't have any of the dried blueberries the recipe called for so I had to omit them. Best of all, the crumb was moist, tender, yet sturdy enough to support all the blueberries. The combination of butter and oil provided both flavour and moisture, which made these delicious even a few hours later. We all know how disappointing it can be when a muffin or anything that's still warm tastes amazing only to turn dry or crumbly later on. The only thing that was missing in these muffins is a bigger muffin top, but maybe it's because I made them smaller or baked at a lower temperature.

muffinblueberry

I halved the recipe, got 10 muffins using my large cookie scoop and baked them at 375 instead of 400 because mine were a little smaller. I finally used my Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch pan I got for Christmas and I love it!! The baking is even so the edges don't dry out by the time the centre is cooked and the crust is perfectly golden without being burnt. I think this is the most amazing pan I've baked with, but I've only used Wilton, which suck because of all the trimming I have to do from the top doming and around overdone sides and Chicago Metallic, which are pretty good except that they brown the edges more. Now, I need to get some Goldtouch 8 inch rounds and loaf pans!!

muffinblueberry (2)

The blueberry sauce is genius because you get a pretty swirl of blue inside, but not an overall blue muffin. It also provides a lot of moisture and flavour from the extra concentrated blueberry juice. I found the recipe at food.according to me.

I think the key to the tenderness and texture of these muffins compared to others I've tried is the mixing method.
* Instead of just whisking all the wet together at the same time, the eggs and sugar are first whisked by hand until pale and fluffy (I whisked so much the eggs and sugar actually ribboned and I thought I was going to lose my arm)
* Next, the fats are slowly whisked in followed by the liquids and extract.
* The berries are also added with the wet before the flour. Since they're not folded at the end, it helps to prevent overmixing. (this is my favourite step and what I've always done with addins to eliminate any possibility for overmixing)
* Also, it's important that the flour is measured correctly. Since these muffins aren't loaded with fat any extra flour will definitely make them too dense.

Blueberry Muffins
Recipe from food according to me

2 cups fresh blueberries, about 10 ounces
1/2 cup dried blueberries (I didn't have any)
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 12 ½ ounces
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 ounces white sugar (I just used 1 cup, which is 7 ounces because my berries were really sweet)
3 large whole eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1 tbsp vinegar and added milk until it reached one cup)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp turbinado sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position to heat oven to 400ºF. (I used 375)Prepare muffin tins.
2. Bring 1 cup fresh blueberries and all dried blueberries to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently and pressing blueberries against the side of the pot, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened, about five minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in the large bowl. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Slowly whisk in melted butter and oil until incorporated. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
5. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining one cup blueberries.
6. Gently fold in flour mixture until just moistened. Batter will be very lumpy.
7. Using a large spoon, divide half of the batter equally among the 12 muffin cups (about a third filled.) Place a heaping teaspoon of berry mixture on top of batter. Scoop remaining batter on top of berry filling. Using a bamboo skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter.
8. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the muffins.
9. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes. (I took them out when a toothpick inserted had like 2 mini crumbs attached - almost perfectly clean, but not with huge crumbs attached either) Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for five minutes more before serving.

30 comments:

  1. Your pictures just stopped me, I could have licked the screen these look so amazing = )

    Steph you are so taleneted! Remember the little people when you're famous!

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  2. Oh my, that picture is so scrumptiuos and these look amazing! I want to eat the computer! Fabulous photography!

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  3. These muffins really do look perfect, love all those blueberries!

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  4. I am always in the mood for a good blueberry muffin. I love you pictures, they are very enticing.

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  5. oh steph, these look AMAZING. i've been known to say that i'm not much of a fruit girl when it comes to desserts, but man, do i have a weakness for a good blueberry muffin. i'm with you that some are overly dessert-y, and those low-fat, low-cal, just taste like mushy nothingness. but, yours, they're calling to me right now! i can't wait to try this recipe!

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  6. Wow! You've sold me on these for sure. I am going to try them this weekend!

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  7. These look PERFECT. I love blueberry muffins and these..ooo yum!

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  8. They do look amazing - yum, I love blueberries

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  9. I've got some blueberries, so I might just have to try these. Thanks for the tips. Yours look fantastic.
    Nancy

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  10. Well, these muffins aren't appealing to me because I hate blueberries. Maybe if I tweak it with raspberries and raspberry syrup, then I will savor them lol Good job though!

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  11. These look beyond to die for. I cant believe how awesome your photos are!! Makes me crave one right now!!

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  12. They look soooo wonderful!! I love a great blueberry muffin!

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  13. These look amazing...I have at two or three favorite bb muffin recipes, but I have a feeling I'll have another soon..this one! Great notes about the method - looking forward to trying these.

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  14. I just made blueberry muffins exactly like this yesterday! The turbinado sugar is definitely key :) Yours look fabulous and delicious!

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  15. If the muffins taste as good as the pictures look, they are a big hit.

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  16. Steph! These look absolutely incredible. The blueberry sauce sounds like a keeper and the photos are truly phenomenal! Wish I lived closer so I could sample some!

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  17. Steph, these look great. I had much difficulty with blueberry muffins in the past...I think there is a curse on me! :) But I will try these!

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  18. these look super delicious. I m always searching for the perfect muffin. I have to try these :) Photos are so nice tooo simply spectacular :)

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  19. There must be some sort of blueberry thing going on in the blog world. TasteSpotting is covered with blueberries, and this one definately caught my eye, they look great! Thanks for sharing!

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  20. Steph Those muffins look great. Yum Yum

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  21. Look at those berries! So colorful and divine!!

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  22. I'm so glad you liked the muffins & thanks for the link!

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  23. Oh yes, these look scrumptious. I recently made a batch of 'heathy' orange muffins, but I haven't ever baked any blueberry ones. Blueberries are just too expensive here :(

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  24. Your scrumptious photos of your muffins are making me hungry (a hazard of reading food blogs) and I think I may gain 5 pounds reading it. Beautiful.
    AmyRuth

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  25. Blueberry muffins have to be my favorite, probably blueberry anything would be. Love the macro shot!

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  26. nyummyyyyyyyyyyy...i thin i wan to try this next week..tq

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  27. Ooh, these muffins look remarkably moist. I love the way the blueberries are bursting through too! I'm posting on blueberry sweet rolls today, and I'll be sure to link to these!

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  28. Just made these muffins. They are fabulous and the swirl is easy and totally worth it. Thanks for sharing

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  29. Heavenly blueberries! And don't forget... Cold butter. :)

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  30. I just wanted to let you know that these are now the preferred fruit muffin of all of my friends. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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