Double Blueberry Muffins

I know blueberry muffins. I absolutely love all things blueberry. This recipe courtesy of Gale Gand's Butter Sugar Flour Eggs is by far the best blueberry muffin recipe I have ever tried.


Double Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin or line the cups with paper liners. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and mix. In a shallow bowl, mash 3/4 cup of the blueberries with the back of a fork. Add to the batter and mix.
With the mixer running at low speed, add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the milk, and mix. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Fold in the remaining 1 3/4 cups whole blueberries by hand until well mixed. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon.
*do not skip this step it adds a wonderfully crispy sweet texture on top*
Use an ice-cream scoop or large spoon to fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the muffins and bake until golden brown and risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before turning out.

Flowerpot Cakes

These were so fun to make, I used 3 inch pots from Michael's.

Recipe

1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for pots
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting pots
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract (pure)
1/2 cup crushed chocolate wafer cookies (about 10) I used oreos
Multicolored pebble-shaped chocolate candies, for garnish. I used Abdalla's.
Mint sprigs, for garnish (or in my case baby spinach because no fresh mint was available)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Brush inside of each flowerpot with oil, and line bottom with parchment paper round. Brush parchment with oil, and lightly dust with cocoa.

2. Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg and yolk, 3/4 cup warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

3. Divide batter among prepared pots, filling each about two-thirds full. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, rotating sheet about halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cakes cool completely in the flowerpots on a wire rack.

4. Frost cakes with an offset spatula; sprinkle with crushed cookies. Top with candies; "plant" 1 mint sprig in each cake.

Make sure not to fill pots more than 3/4 full, just like with cupcakes. I learned through trial and error with the first batch to go even a little under that.


Quick Chocolate Frosting
Makes 3 Cups

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
12 tablespoons unsweetened butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sift sugar and cocoa together in medium bowl. Wisk in butter, milk, vanilla and beat until smooth. Use immediately.

This really does work, I was a little apprehensive because the recipe did not call for creaming the butter first, but it all came out wonderfully, everyone raved.