I’m a little old for a coming-of-age story, but my quest for the perfect blueberry muffin recipe resulted in a big leap toward full-fledged adulthood for this 26-year-old. This was the first time I actively cast off a treasured family recipe in search of something better.
I hadn’t been able to find that old recipe in my book, so of course I only came to crave those muffins more. When, last month, I finally got that recipe from my mother, I was terribly disappointed. The muffins were delicious right out of the oven, but turned dry just hours later.
I complained to my father, who said that he had developed the perfect recipe. I eagerly tried it, but found it to be very ordinary (though a big improvement over the old muffins).
And then I did something I had never done before: I found a recipe that put the family recipe to shame, and I became a real adult. Or something.
King Arthur Flour saved the day with a pure stroke of genius: a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. Unbelievable.
Favorite Blueberry Muffins
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
2 cups blueberries
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease muffin tin or spray insides of paper liners.
- In small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition.
- Reduce mixer speed and slowly add flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat just until combined.
- Carefully fold in the berries.
- Scoop in equal portions into 12 prepared muffin cups. Use all of the batter here.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- When finished, let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. This is truly the hardest part of the recipe, because the muffins smell so good. But it is a must–the muffins are too tender and delicate to manhandle the way I normally would.
They are also worth the wait. Try not to eat too many.
