Summer Can’t Be Over . . . but since it is, make yourself some muffins
Real Estate Market Stabilizing in Kitsap County
September 9, 2009
The North Town Woods Neighborhood on Bainbridge Island
September 24, 2009
School has started, Labor day has passed, my tomatoes are finally ripening and the blackberry crop is thinning. Unfortunately (since summer here is always way too brief), all signs point towards fall. However, we are fortunate to live across the street from an easement that is loaded with blackberries. This time of year, the picking is good and I force myself to flash freeze them for the winter. Our favorite concoction for the berries is a muffin recipe that has become a staple for our weekend breakfasts. I think it is the sour cream that makes them so moist and yummy. And even though I love the sour cream, when out, we have used yogurt instead and it still tastes swell.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 11 oz of fresh blackberries, cut in half (often available at Trader Joe’s) (You can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available, defrost and drain them first.)
Method
1 Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups. (Actually, with the berries you’ll have more batter than just for 12 muffins. This batch made 18 muffins.)
2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3 In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.
4 Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.
5 Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.
Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.
This amazing recipe is from Elise who owns and manages Simply Recipes. A very cool website I am sure you’ve seen before. I am happy to say she is from my old Sacramento stomping grounds – she is a very smart cookie – her site has won several awards and I love using it.
