Sweet Blueberry Muffins – Sometimes a recipe can be a special connection to the past. These deliciously sweet blueberry muffins help a very special memory to live on…
I know very little about my grandmother. She passed away from malignant melanoma long before I was even a glimmer in my mother’s eye. Sadly, she never even got to see her son’s and my mother’s wedding. Growing up, my dad spoke very highly, but very little, of her and I can only guess this was because it was too painful to dwell on her memory… I can’t imagine losing a parent at such a young age. Yet, I always wanted to know more about her. I’ve been told that she was a strong and brave woman. That she taught her kids well, despite living with cancer for over ten years.
I also know that my grandmother made the most delicious blueberry muffins. Not only was this awesome recipe hers, she made it from the thriving blueberry bushes that my Pop Pop cultivated. The result was a sweet and dense muffin with the taste of freshly picked summer blueberries. To this day, these muffins are a favorite throughout my extended family.
I love how certain traditions and recipes can become a part of our identities. Over the years, these muffins have become my most tangible connection to my grandmother’s memory. I’ve seen very few photos of her and have heard far too few stories, but I can keep making these muffins and I can tell my children her story so that her memory will live on… Much like the still-thriving blueberry bushes that these muffins were made from for so many years.
- ⅔ C softened butter (10½ Tbsp)
- 1¾ C sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- 2¾ C flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1¼ C milk
- 2½ C blueberries
- 1½ Tbsp of flour for coating berries
- Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Alternating back and forth, add both the milk and the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.
- Wash the blueberries and remove the stems. Coat the berries with flour and the then fold them into the batter until just combined. Coating the berries with flour will keep them from becoming to soggy and will keep them from settling to the bottom of the muffins.
- Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin and fill three quarters of the way full with batter. I find that an ice-cream scoop works well for this.
- Bake in a 350º F oven for 20-25 minutes. The muffins are done when they are beginning to turn golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a baker’s rack.
This looks so delicious, honestly. Some of my family members are celiac but for the others, this looks like a perfect dish to serve up. I’ve just eaten lunch but your photos are making me hungry again! 🙂
Haha! Thanks Karl. Be sure to bake these when your family members who can’t have flour aren’t around. I hate to think that they would be tortured with the smell of freshly baked muffins!