Blueberry Muffins

New camera photo, but taken at 5AM in crappy light. Still can't tell if the camera is an improvement or not. Mr. Eat The Blog thinks it is.

These muffins are so adaptable. You can use fresh or frozen berries, chocolate chips, cinnamon and nutmeg-really just about anything as long as the proportions stay somewhat close. The muffins are quite large, so be sure to grease the tops of the tins so that the mushrooming effect isn't ruined by sticking.

I use butter in these, but I've used shortening in a pinch and it works just fine, in fact they tend to keep longer when made with Crisco. That said, the muffins freeze well if you find a dozen large muffins too much to polish off on the way to work in the morning. Mr. Eat The Blog actually took the time to send me an e-mail saying how good they were. I was glad to hear it, because he might not be getting home until quite late tonight if the snow keeps up. At least I know his caloric intake will withstand shoveling out the car, need be (yes, I sent him to work with a supply of sandwiches too).

The pinch of coarse sugar topping is a hold-over from when I lived in Massachusetts. Kind of a regional thing related to a long-gone department store. It really does add an extra something to the muffins, but they won't suffer too horribly if you omit it.

You Will Need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder (I just discovered the aluminum -free kind which I love because I could always taste the metallic yuck that everyone else swore was in my mind. Apparently others have noticed it too).
2 large eggs
2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint blueberries
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Coarse sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. (Not a typo). Grease the tops of baking pans and line with paper cups.

Cream together sugar, butter and salt for three minutes until light. Add baking powder and eggs and mix well. Add flour, milk and vanilla and mix well. Fold in blueberries and zest. Top each muffin with a pinch of coarse sugar, if you like.

Divide evenly into 12 baking cups. Set in oven on middle rack for five minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. and bake 30-35 minutes longer. Cool on rack.