My Favorite Muffin Recipe (what's yours?)

Every year, when blueberries are in season, I get the itch to make blueberry muffins. I got the recipe from a Cooking Light magazine, and made it for the first time in the off season, January 22, 2005 with my son. He had just turned four years old, and he thoroughly enjoyed doing most of the work. It's that easy. My recipe is clean, made with organic yogurt, blueberries, eggs, and orange juice. I start making them right around Memorial Day, and put them in patriotic muffin cups. I make them weekly, and keep them in the freezer. Every night, I take a couple out to defrost for the morning for breakfast. My son loves to have them with his protein shake, and since I know exactly what's in them, I can feel really good about him eating them. You don't need your mixer or much time to make them, and if you freeze them right away, when you defrost them, they will taste as fresh as the first day you made them.

Be sure each muffin has at least a couple of blueberries. Sometimes, if the batter isn't stirred well, you will end up without enough blueberries in the last few muffins. However, if you over stir the batter, the muffins will be tough and the blueberries may break apart. If you use frozen berries, they will most likely bleed giving a tie dye effect to the muffins. Sometimes, I prefer this effect, and when I can't get fresh organic blueberries, I use frozen organic berries. They look pretty cool swirled. When you allow them to cool, do so on a wire rack. After they've cooled, plate them and drape a light kitchen towel or cheesecloth over the top. Wrapping them in plastic wrap will totally ruin the muffins.

Never refrigerate baked goods, unless we are talking about pies, because refrigeration makes them go stale. If you have ants and don't want them getting into your muffins, you can put them in an airy Tupperware, and leave them on the counter or put them in the freezer. Again, do not refrigerate them or they will just be awful.

My little buddy G next door loves these, too. I think I am going to leave a couple of muffins on his front porch, once I make them.

Try this recipe. You'll love it, and it's about as wholesome and healthy as a yummy tasting muffin can get. I've done the same basic recipe with raspberries (not as pretty but still delicious), chocolate chips. and quartered cherries.

Share your favorite muffin recipe with me here, in the comment section, so that I can give some new ones a try.

blueberry-yogurt muffins 
makes 12 muffins; 3.3 g fat per muffin + 3.7 g protein

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 c unsweetened o.j.
• 2 t vegetable oil
• 1 t pure vanilla extract
• 8 oz. vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1 c fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 T sugar in the raw

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold berries into the mixture.

Spoon batter evenly into 12 muffin cups (I use a 1/4 c measuring cup per muffin) lined with muffin liners or sprayed with non-stick baking spray; sprinkle 1 T sugar in the raw over each muffin. Bake at 400* for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately; cool on wire racks.