Blueberry Muffins CI

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https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4736-best-blueberry-muffins?incode=MCSCD00L0&ref=new_search_experience_4
BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS--
do not fill muffin cups to top, yield 16 muffins

Published May 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We didn’t want the fruit in our blueberry muffin recipe to have the lackluster, watery taste so common in many other recipes. Cooking some of the berries in sugar and adding our cooled homemade jam to the batter along with fresh, uncooked berr...(more)

MAKES 12 MUFFINS
If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk.
see site for toppings, variations noted below

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Ingredients

  • INGREDIENTS
  • Lemon-Sugar Topping
  • 1/3 cup sugar (2 1/3 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
  • Muffins
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces),divided, picked over - use more for jam filling
  • --
  • 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • --
  • 1 1/8 cups sugar (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon
  • 2 large eggs
  • -
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • -
  • 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
  • 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • try: add 1/2 tsp almond extract or 1/4 tsp lemon oil - *almond did not add much-
  • maybe try fior di sicilia-1teaspoon Fiori Di Sicilia * ( or 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. orange oil, 1/4 tsp.almond extract) - maybe sub lemon oil for the orange here-

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Bring 1 cup blueberries (use more) and 1 teaspoon sugar (add according to amt of berries) to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.
Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds.
Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined.
Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla (& extract if using) until combined.
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Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)
4. Following photos below, use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly - i found you should fill cups less)).
Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.
5. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

To boost berry flavor in a muffin, simply adding more blueberries isn't the answer. With too many in the mix, the berries sink to the bottom, weighing the muffin down.
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1. MAKE BERRY JAM
Cook half of fresh blueberries into thick jam to concentrate their flavor and eliminate excess moisture.

2. ADD FRESH BERRIES
Stir 1 cup of fresh blueberries into batter to provide juicy bursts in every bite.

3. PORTION BATTER
Scoop batter into muffin pans, completely filling cups.

4. ADD JAM TO BATTER
Place 1 teaspoon of cooled berry jam in center of each batter-filled cup, pushing it below surface.

5. SWIRL INTO BATTER
Using chopstick or skewer, swirl jam to spread berry flavor throughout.

Variations:
best Blueberry Muffins with Frozen Blueberries
2 cups frozen blueberries - use more for jam
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4744-best-blueberry-muffins-with-frozen-blueberries
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Best Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Pinch table salt
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (3 1/2 ounces)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm
Stir together sugar, brown sugar, salt, and flour in small bowl until combined. Drizzle with warm butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and mixture forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout. Set aside.
Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over muffins.
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Best Blueberry Muffins with Almond Crunch Topping
Almond Crunch Topping
⅓ cup finely ground almonds
4 teaspoons turbinado sugar
Stir together almonds and sugar in small bowl until combined; set aside.
Sprinkle almond topping evenly over muffins. before baking
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Best Blueberry Muffins with Orange Glaze or Lemon Glaze
Orange/Lemon Glaze
4 teaspoons turbinado sugar - sprinkle on muffins before baking
after baking:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 ½ tablespoons orange juice or enuf lemon juice til the right texture
While muffins cool, whisk together confectioners' sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle each cooled muffin with 2 teaspoons glaze before serving.





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