Blueberry Vanilla Muffins

My latest obsession is homemade muffins. They are extremely easy to bake, don’t need frosting and also keep well for a few days. Blueberry muffins are a classic. Though you could make them any time of the year using frozen blueberries, nothing beats the taste of fresh summer berries.

A good muffin is really easy to put together – you need just one bowl, a whisk or fork and a light hand. It is equally easy to mess it up too. The biggest mistake is over-mixing the batter, which would cause the muffins to be dense and not rise as much.

Keep these tips in mind.

• Muffins, unlike cupcakes and cakes, like a really hot oven – 400 deg.F (or at least 375 deg.F for some recipes).
• Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately.
• Use a light hand when combining the two. Never use a food processor or hand mixer or anything motorized. A good ol’ wire whisk or even a large fork is sufficient.
• The batter must be thick and gloopy, not at all runny.
• Finally, bake them immediately. And bake the muffins till they pass a toothpick test and their tops are nicely browned and cracked. Yes, I said cracked. That is not a mistake. It is the signature of a good muffin. Unlike their prettier counterparts, the cupcakes, muffins are not supposed to be perfectly smooth.
• Finally, use a cupcake pan if you are scared that you will er… over-indulge. Muffin pans are typically huge. Using a cupcake pan will give you slightly smaller muffins, and maybe, just maybe, you can prevent a muffin top from showing up where it doesn’t belong 😉

BLUEBERRY VANILLA MUFFINS (Adapted from allrecipes.com)

You will need: (Makes 8 muffins or 10 cupcake sized ones)

• All purpose flour – 1 1/2 cups
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Vegetable Oil – 1/3 cup
• Egg – 1, large
• Milk – 1/3 – 1/2 cup
• Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
• Blueberries – 1 cup

How to:

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
• In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
• In a measuring cup, add the vegetable oil and egg and whisk well. Add milk to come up to the 1 cup mark. You will need anywhere between 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk till just combined. Using a light hand, gently fold in the blueberries.
• Fill the lined pan and bake for 20 minutes or till the muffins pass the toothpick test and their tops are golden and slightly cracked.
• Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

These muffins are absolutely amazing with the juicy blueberries and an amazing vanilla flavor. Surprisingly, they are very buttery as well, though there is no butter involved! The original recipe also has a streusel topping, which I obviously skipped. The muffins are really delicious without it, but go ahead and a crumbly topping of sugar, butter and flour if you wish. You can also add a tablespoon of lemon zest in the batter for a more summery flavor. Have fun!

Tell me, which is your favorite muffin recipe? Chocolate, banana, walnut, blueberries or all of them? Do share.

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