Blueberry Muffins

Spoiled. That's what we've been for the past six days. Every morning we wandered down to the sitting area of our quaint Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast and were greeted with fresh fruit, quick breads, and an unbelievably delicious hot breakfast. Eggs, french toast, blueberry pancakes, cinnamon apples, sausage, roasted potatoes. Like I said...spoiled.

Needless to say, this morning was a bit disenchanting.

What? No one has prepared us a fresh home cooked meal to start the day?

No fresh fruit? No smells of bacon and just brewed coffee?

You mean, we don't even have cranberry juice?

Yeah, real life can be a bummer.

Which is why you need muffins. Muffins are quick. Simple. Easy to freeze and thaw in a jiffy. But muffins are also a treat. A welcome break from that boring old bowl of cereal. A little something special. Something to remind you of that time when you were spoiled.

While I'm still quite fond of the Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins, I have to say these have them beat. I almost didn't try this version, but I'm so glad I did. These little guys are perfect all on their own-no crumb topping, glaze, or powdered sugar needed. I plan to bake up another batch of these and put them in the freezer. That way even though I'm missing this:

I can still enjoy a treat like this:

Blueberry Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
Recipe found on Brown Eyed Baker who adapted from Baking Illustrated

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled for a bit
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin or 24 cup mini muffin tin.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another small bowl, vigorously whisk the egg until light colored, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and whisk again until mixture becomes thick, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter in two separate additions, whisking to combine. Add the sour cream in two separate additions, and whisk until fully combined.
4. Add the berries to the flour mixture, and toss gently to coat. Add the egg mixture and stir gently with a rubber spatula just until mixture begins to combine (about 30 seconds). It's okay if there's still some small bits of flour that aren't mixed in. You want to avoid over mixing.
5. Using a cookie scoop, divide batter up among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Rotate the pans midway through baking. Remove and allow to cool. Serve warm.

Notes: This recipe can easily be doubled. Leftover muffins can be cooled completely then individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer in gallon size zip lock bags. To reheat, simply unwrap and place in the microwave for about 30 seconds.