Gendel Family Favorites: Blueberry Muffins

The first Gendel Family Favorite is a breakfast Recipe.  Next week we'll have a side, then a Thanksgiving themed dessert, and finally a holiday season drink.

This is my all time favorite recipe.  For those of you who don't know, I normally don't like blueberries. I don't know why I just don't like them. But I go out of my way for these. These muffins have been part of our Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day breakfasts for all but a few years (when the cookbook went briefly missing) for most of my life.

Because these are so unique I had to take all the pictures.

 From Muffins by Elizabeth Alston
The Best Blueberry Muffin 

Elizabeth says- Bursting with berries, these are the best blueberry muffins of all. The secret is an extra half cup of blueberries which are mashed, and then added to the batter.

My mom and I were discussing these ahead of this post and we agreed. These are muffins that remind of us of Smurfs. Smurf muffins. A couple of things to know- we at our house to my knowledge have NEVER made these with fresh blueberries, we've always used frozen so we've always used the full amount of sugar.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar or slightly less depending on the tartness of the berries
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups blueberries (mash 1/2 cup with a fork) Thaw the half cup- makes mashing easier. 
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg we usually leave this part off but it can add a nice touch. 

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 regular muffin cups, including the area between each cup, or use foil baking cups.

2.  In a medium size bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in the sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.

3. Mix mashed berries into batter.

4. Fold in half the flour with a spatula then half the milk. Add the remaining flour and milk. Fold in remaining blueberries.

5. Scoop batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg sugar.

6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown (They will turn golden brown). Let muffins cool at least 30 minutes in the pan before removing. Enjoy slightly warm.