Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
Flourless cooking spray for greasing
500 ml plus 30 ml (2 cups plus 2
 tbsp) all?purpose flour
7 ml (1.1/2 tsp) baking powder
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
1 ml (1/4 tsp) freshly grated nutmeg
175ml (3/4 cup)whole or low fat milk
I large egg
2 ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
125 ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
250 ml (1 cup) sugar
375 ml (11/2 cups) fresh blue
 berries, washed and patted dry, or frozen blueberries
 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 205 C (400 F). Spray muffin pans lightly with cooking spray or use paper liners to line the pans. Sift 500 ml (2 cups) of flour, the baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, blend the milk, egg and vanilla extract.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and smooth in texture, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to blend the batter evenly. Increase the speed to medium and mix the batter until very smooth, 2 minutes.

In a bowl, scatter the 30 ml (2 tbsp) flour over the berries and toss to coat them evenly. Working by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold the blueberries into the batter, working gently and just long enough to 'distribute the berries evenly.

Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake until the top of a muffin springs back when lightly pressed, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan on a wire rack for five
minutes. Remove them from the pan and cool completely. Makes 12 muffins.

BLUEBERRY BRAN MUFFINS
Replace 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the flour with wheat or oat bran. You can also replace 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the sugar with 80 ml (1/3 cup) honey. These muffins will be denser and less cakelike than the original version.

STREUSEL-TOPPED BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
In bowl, blend 50 ml (1/4 cup) quick?cooking oats, 50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped walnuts, 50 ml (1/4 cup) tightly packed light brown sugar, 50 ml (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour and 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) salt. With fingertips, a pastry knife, or short pulses in a food processor, cut 60 ml (4 tbsp) cold unsalted butter into dry ingredients until streusel is crumbly. Scatter a generous tablespoon of the streusel over each muffin before baking.

Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America