Blackberry Muffins

With blackberry season underway picking some of those scrumptious delicious black little berries seems only natural. If you’re looking for something different than blackberry jam this year, perhaps making some BlackBerry muffins might fill the void. You might end up not picking enough if you make plenty and freeze them for later. What could be better than fresh blackberry muffins for breakfast? So, bake up a storm and put all the excess away in the freezer. You’ll be having black Berry muffins for the next month or two. What better way to use those delicious gems you find outside?

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 large fresh eggs
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 stick of butter melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 2 cups of fresh blackberries halved

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease two muffin pans or line with muffin cups. This recipe should yield 18 standard-sized muffins.
3. Wisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
4. In a separate large bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, sour cream, butter, milk, and vanilla.
5. Add the sugar to the wet ingredients and whisk together until dissolved.
6. Slowly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
7. Mix until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be more like a dough than a batter. Do not overmix.
8. Add the fresh berries and fold them in.
9. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Do not fill more than 3/4 of the way.
10. Place inside the preheated 400-degree Fahrenheit oven and cook for 17 to 20 minutes. The muffins are finished when a toothpick is inserted in the middle of one or two muffins, and they come out clean.
11. Take the muffins out of the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack.
12. Serve the muffins slightly warm.

Tips:

• If you don’t have fresh blackberries frozen ones can be used. Be certain to thaw and dry frozen blackberries before using them in the recipe. This can be done by putting them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw and then draining them before padding them dry with a paper towel for use.
• Make sure not to overmix as this will cause the muffins to be dense instead of fluffy. The batter should not be smooth but lumpy.
• Double or triple the recipe to make multiple baches. The benefit of this is that they can be frozen, rethawed, and heated in a toaster oven to restore their flavor.
• Any that you do not intend to freeze, should be placed within an airtight container immediately after they cool down. They can remain in this airtight container at room temperature for three days.
• Frozen muffins can last up to a month in an airtight container.
• Splenda can be substituted for sugar to reduce the carbohydrate load. Additionally, almond flour can be substituted for up to half of the mixture to also reduce carbohydrates.
• The recipe as it is equals 192 calories, 8 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and three grams of protein per muffin.