Blueberries for Joe

Is this a perfect blueberry muffin?

Hello from mud-luscious New Jersey.

My guest on this week’s podcast is Joseph Cirincione, the nuclear non-proliferation and conflict resolution expert. And, I must add, an all-round wonderful human. If someone is going to scare the daylights out of you about how Putin could use tactical nuclear strikes you want it to be Joe.

Please give a listen to the podcast. It’s one of my favorites I’ve done, even if it’s about nuclear war.

Joe, with muffins ready to bake. Please note his chef’s jacket. My first-ever guest to dress appropriately for the occasion.

Making blueberry muffins was Joe’s brilliant idea, so I set to work comparing popular recipes, trying the most promising ones. Once I figured out what I liked or disliked about the recipes, I created my own recipe and kept tweaking until I was happy. The result is a blueberry-packed, tender, cake-y muffin with a craggy, crunchy top.

My muffins ready to go. Please note I have over-filled the muffin cups. Also, please don’t tell my pastry teacher, Chef Cara, how messy my workspace is. Sorry, Chef.

Blueberry Muffins

What You’ll Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour (alternatively, use 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat)

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs, room temperature

¾ cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

2 cups (10 ounces) frozen blueberries, NOT thawed

Extra granulated sugar, and/or cinnamon or nutmeg for sprinkling on top.

What You’ll Do:

1.     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2.     Butter a 12-muffin tin, or line with cupcake papers.

3.     In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour(s), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

4.     With a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides as necessary.

5.     Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed until just blended.

6.     Add the vanilla and lemon extract.

7.     Sprinkle 2 spoonfuls of the flour mixture over the frozen blueberries and toss to coat. The flour will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.

8.     The rest of the mixing is done by hand to prevent over-mixing and a bouncy, tough muffin: With a spatula, fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture until just blended. Then fold in ½ the yogurt mixture. Fold in another third of the flour mixture, and then, yes, you guessed it, fold in the remaining ½ of the yogurt mixture. Fold in the remaining flour and the blueberries until JUST blended.

9.     Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Do not smooth the tops. Sprinkle about ½ teaspoon of sugar over the tops. This will seem vulgar and vaguely indecent. Do it anyway. (You can also add ground nutmeg or cinnamon to the sugar if you like. I’m quite partial to nutmeg.)

10.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle muffin comes out clean, with maybe just a crumb attached. Try not to overbake. Easier said than done, I know, but since I can’t be there with you when you pull them from the oven, I want to make sure you have success. Also, I like to nag.

Let cool for 15 minutes or so. If you didn’t use cupcake liners, loosen the edges of the muffins before attempting to remove them from the pan. These muffins are best the day they are made.

A quiet request: The method I used to develop this recipe is frequently how I come up with my own master recipes. I truly love the process. As you can imagine, I go through a lot of butter, flour, sugar and other ingredients. Paid subscribers make this possible. Please become a paid subscriber if you can. If you aren’t able at this time, I’d appreciate your sharing this newsletter to help grow the audience! Bosco and I thank you.