I was to bake something pretty, something photogenic yesterday. Due to a lack of time, I decided to go with my nutella cupcakes and blueberry muffins.
Actually, the blueberry muffins were kind of a last minute thing. That's because a punnet was going at $2.95! I bought 2 punnets and went home feeling excited. Excited because it's been quite a while since I've baked blueberry muffins. Blueberries don't go cheap here in Singapore so I always wait till the prices drop - like now :)
The muffins were filled with so much blueberry goodness that I couldn't help eating them once they came out of the oven. There's nothing like warm blueberry muffins on a hot Thursday afternoon I tell ya.
Check out the moist juices and violet hue! Lovely...
I used a different recipe this time, one which called for a crumble topping. That's why there are so many brown bits on my muffin crowns.
Some of the berries burst, resulting in a volcanic looking muffin:
But I still think they are pretty nonetheless!
I didn't bother taking photos of my nutella cupcakes because I think they've gotten enough limelight :p
Here's my muffins and the cupcakes all in a box, waiting to be photographed with me...
I won't say much about the reason for the photos. Haha, all will be revealed in due time! Sooner than expected, trust me.
_______________________________________________
Blueberry Muffins
From Williams-Sonoma Muffins
For the topping:
¼ cup (1½ oz/ 45g) all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tablespoons each granulated sugar and firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.
For the muffins:
7 tablespoons (3½ oz/ 105g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (6oz/185g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2¼ cups (11½ oz/ 360g) all-purpose (plain)flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 fl oz/ 250ml) milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract (essence)
1½ cups (6 oz/ 185g) fresh blueberries or frozen unsweetened blueberries, unthawed.
Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit (190 degree celcius) . Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavoured nonstick cooking spray
To make the topping, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub the butter into the dry ingredients just until coarse crumbs form. Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients and the butter in a food processor and pulse just until coarse crumbs form.
To make the muffins, in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each edition until blended into the butter mixture.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 increments, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the blueberries just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break up the fruit. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkle each muffin with some topping.
Bake until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 12 muffins.