Michigan Blueberry Muffins

If you have lived in Michigan or visited Michigan or are thinking about traveling to Michigan, come in mid-to-late July and Early August. Not only is the weather typically gorgeous, but the blueberries are plentiful and divine. Rarely do blueberries make it into a pie or muffins or smoothie at our house… they are just that good. However, my son (also known as The Captain) and I needed an activity as well as a little snack to bring to a playdate, so we decided to make some muffins. We used Ina Garten’s recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins from her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook as a jumping off point but then changed some things based on our tastes and, honestly, what we had in the house. (You can find her original recipe here.) Even my daughter (aka, The Princess) had one after school and said “just smell this!” To me, from my not-at-all-interested-in-baking-or-eating daughter, this was a HUGE compliment. So, here you have it folks, my travel-to-Michigan-in-late-summer-inspired plug. (If there is no way you can make it to Michigan for blueberry season (please, please try though!), I’m sure any blueberry will work just fine.)

What to Do: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin with paper liners.

In a mixer, mix 12 tbsp of room-temperature butter with 1 1/2 cups of sugar for about 5 minutes. Mix in 3 eggs, 2 tsp of almond extract, 1/4 cup of milk, and 1 cup of Siggis vanilla yogurt. Then add 2 1/2 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of salt until just mixed. Add 2 cups of Michigan blueberries and gently (gently, gently) stir in the blueberries with a spatula. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Using this recipe, we were able to make about 15 muffins.