Delicious Blueberry Muffins

It's berry season again! My family loves this time of year because it means that I'm making blueberry muffins from scratch again. They enjoy the ones from a box, but when do you ever see blueberries that small? It's just not right! These made-from-scratch muffins are better than the ones I've had in nearly every bakery and Starbucks. The recipe comes from an out-of-print book called All the Best Muffins and Quick Breads by Joie Warner. You can find used copies on these websites: Barnes and Noble and Amazon. All my favorite quick bread and muffin recipes are in this book, so I highly recommend it. In case you can't get the book here's the recipe. The recipe says it only makes 12, but I can usually get 18 with the larger blueberries. I also use the cupcake wrappers because it's easier to clean and serve that way.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon (I use Saigon cinnamon- buy it at Costco)

2 c. fresh blueberries

1/2 c. real butter

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1 c. milk

grated zest of 1 medium lemon

1/4 c. sugar mixed with finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon

Adjust oven rack to top third position; preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat muffin pan with vegetable spray, including top edges: muffins rise above pan.

Thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl; stir in blueberries.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl of electric mixer for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then milk and lemon zest. On low speed, blend in dry ingredients just until combined; do not overmix.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle lemon-sugar mixture evenly over muffin tops. Bake for 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Turn out onto rack and serve warm. Makes 12 muffins. (I apologize for not having a picture of the muffins artfully displayed on a pretty serving tray. I have sons... which means as soon as the food is out of the pan it starts disappearing.)

TIP: I get the large crystallized sugar from the cake decorating section and mix it with the lemon zest. It shows up more and tastes better with a little crunch.