Glazed Blueberry Donut Muffins

Just when I thought I had enough good blueberry muffin recipes on my blog, I went out and found another recipe that I absolutely love. This recipe, like the other three I have posted about in the past, is completely unique and requires its own spot in the recipe index. It tastes just like a blueberry donut! I seriously love donuts, but it has been quite a while since I last pulled out my donut pan from the cabinet. After making these muffins, I might have to dig it out and make another batch of homemade donuts. With fall just around the corner, it is almost time to make these Pumpkin Spice Donuts- my favorite!

Not only do these muffins taste like donuts, but they are also dipped in a sweet glaze just like so many of my favorite donut recipes. Out of everyone that I shared them with, I think my dad was the biggest fan. After trying one muffin, he asked that I leave four more for him, even though he was only going to be home for two more days. These Glazed Blueberry Donut Muffins make the perfect breakfast or dessert- or even both in the case of my dad!

Glazed Blueberry Donut Muffins

Recipe from Cooking Classy

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 tbsp milk

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Set aside. 

In another large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition. Add the vanilla.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream and lemon juice. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and gently fold until just incorporated. Then add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and gently fold until just incorporated. Repeat the process, ending with the flour mixture. Gently fold the blueberries into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool on a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, combine the powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Dip the tops of the muffins in the glaze, allow the excess to drip off. Return the muffins to the cooling rack and allow to cool completely. 

Roasted Berry and Brie Salad

I can't believe that summer is almost over. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the 4th of July. Where does the time go? One thing is for sure, I am taking advantage of all of the fresh berries while they are still in season. I buy so many that I actually have a hard time going through them all before they go bad. I can't help it- I can't resist fresh strawberries and fresh blueberries, especially when they are on mega-sale at the supermarket. 

Earlier this summer, I made this Strawberry Spinach Salad which quickly became my favorite summer salad. But this Roasted Berry and Brie Salad has definitely given that salad a run for its money. I love that the berries are roasted in the oven, making them really juicy and full of flavor. I also love the creamy brie cheese but if you are not a fan you could also use feta or another cheese or your choice. Enjoy!

Roasted Berry and Brie Salad
Recipe from Annie's Eats (originally adapted from Williams Sonoma )

For the berries:
12 oz. strawberries, rinsed, hulled and halved lengthwise
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of granulated sugar
Salt and pepper

To serve:
5-6 cups fresh baby spinach
4 oz. brie, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Raspberry or balsamic vinaigrette

To make the roasted berries, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the berries in an even layer of the baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the berries. Add the sugar and lightly season with salt and pepper. Gently toss to coat the berries. Spread them in an even layer once again. Bake until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Add the baby spinach plates to serving plates. Top with pieces of brie, slivered almonds and the roasted berries. Serve with vinaigrette immediately.

Blueberry Bagels

This is my first month participating in the Kitchen Challenge organized by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil. Every month I read about the challenge and consider joining in on the fun. I really wanted to make croissants and macarons a few months ago, but never got around to doing so. July's Kitchen Challenge was to make a batch of homemade bagels, another thing on my long list of things to conquer in the kitchen. Instead of skipping the challenge once again, I decided that this would be the month to participate and overcome my fear of yeast. Over the past few years, I have experimented with yeast but have never had great results. Part of the problem was that I didn't know the difference between dry active yeast and rapid rise yeast. This time I was prepared and went to the store with a list of ingredients    for my bagels, including active dry yeast and bread flour (rather than regular all-purpose flour). 

After deciding to participate in the challenge, I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect recipe to make. Most bagel recipes take two days to make, including an overnight resting period in the refrigerator. With my busy schedule, I didn't want to spend that much time on one recipe and settled on these Blueberry Bagels which only took a few hours from start to finish. I never knew that homemade bagels could be so easy to make and still taste so good. These blueberry bagels were perfectly soft and chewy. I can't wait to participate in future Kitchen Challenges!

Blueberry Bagels
Recipe adapted from Galley Gourmet

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups warm warm (approximately 110 degrees F)
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1 cup freeze dried blueberries

In a large measuring cup, combine the yeast, granulated sugar and warm water. Let sit for about 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the bread flour, salt, ground cinnamon and lemon zest. Mix until just combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. You might need to add additional water to the bowl in order for the dough to come together. Knead the dough on low speed for about 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Remove the dough from the mixer and gently knead in the dried blueberries by hand. 

Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour or until it has nearly doubled in size. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Once the dough has risen, gently press down on it with your hands. Allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 pieces of approximately equal size. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and use your fingers to poke a hole in the middle of each ball. Each hole should be about 2 inches in size. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and continue with the remaining dough. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for another 10-15 minutes. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop 2 bagels at a time into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minutes then flip each bagel over and boil for another minute. Using a strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them on a second baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue with the remaining bagels. Bake the bagels for about 20 minutes or until golden brown in color. Transfer the bagels to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Blueberry Muffins

In my opinion, you can never have enough blueberry muffin recipes in your baking repertoire. After all, blueberry muffins are the muffins of all muffins. Even though I already have two blueberry muffin recipes on the blog, that did not stop me from going out and finding another recipe that I love and now cannot live without. 

Since the recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated, it should come as no surprise that a unique method is used to make these blueberry muffins. You actually make a batch of homemade blueberry jam, which is then swirled into the top of each muffin before baking. I loved the addition of the blueberry jam, as well as the lemon sugar topping which was the perfect complement to all of the blueberries. Now you can see why I had no choice but to add this recipe to the archives. 

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated

Yield: 12 muffins

Lemon Sugar Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Muffins:

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 1/8 cups plus 1 tsp granulated sugar, divided

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp table salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping, combine the lemon zest and sugar in a small bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the ingredients together until fragrant. Set aside.

For the muffins, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine 1 cup of blueberries with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Use the back of a spoon to smash the blueberries and stir frequently. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a jam-like consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl, whisk together  1 1/8 cups granulated sugar and the eggs. Add the melted butter, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully incorporated. Add the wet ingredients and the remaining blueberries into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Add one teaspoon of blueberry jam to each cup. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the jam into the batter. Sprinkle the lemon sugar topping over the muffins.

Bake for 18-19 minutes or until golden brown in color. Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Temperatures reached 90 degrees over the weekend. While it was certainly hot outside, it was a nice change from the 40 degree weather we had over Memorial Day weekend. It is crazy how temperatures can change that much in just one week. I am looking forward to more nice weather over the upcoming months. The warmer weather also means that blueberries are almost in season. As I walk through the Farmer's Market each week, I always check for blueberries, knowing that it is still a little too early. While they haven't had any yet, I know that they are sure to make an appearance in the near future.

I have a lot of go-to blueberry muffin recipes. Blueberry muffins are my favorite muffins so I feel like I can never have enough good recipes. These Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins are one of my recent favorites. Brown butter makes everything better, right? I am also a big fan of a streusel topping on my muffin and this one does not disappoint.

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from the Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson

Yield: 12 Muffins

Muffins:

7 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

1/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping:

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter bubbles and becomes a medium brown color. Be careful not to burn the butter. Remove from heat. Pour the butter into a small bowl. 

In another bowl, combined the milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Add the brown butter and whisk again. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Fold in the blueberries but be careful not to overmix.  Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. 

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bow. With clean hands, combine the ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the prepared muffins. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden in color. An inserted toothpick should come out clean. Let the muffins cool for about 15 minutes before serving. 

Blueberry Corn Muffins

Happy Wednesday! After a week of incredibly warm weather in New England, we all woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Except it is really far from wonderful. I could definitely do without the snow and all of the shoveling that awaits me this afternoon. After waking up to all of this snow, I really just want to get back into bed and stay there for a while. Luckily I had these blueberry muffins to wake up to. They were just what I needed to get me out of bed on this snowy morning.

If only it were the middle of August, the weather was warm and blueberries were in season. And of course there were be no snow and shoveling to do. Wouldn't that be nice?

Blueberry Corn Muffins

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Yield: 12 Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup ground yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs 

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, canola oil, vanilla and eggs until combined. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.