Sustainable Natives

Is there anything better than a fesh blueberry muffin for breakfast? It’s certainly a favorite at our house. These delicious breakfast treats bake up quickly and will keep you going until lunch rolls around. Whenever possible I make them with fresh blueberries, but once they are no longer in season, frozen will work just fine as well. Just be sure to toss any extras during the summer in the freezer to make sure you have plenty of berries to make muffins year around. Here’s how to freeze blueberries.

Below I’ll share two of my favorite recipes with you. The first is a very good but basic one, the second is a super healthy blueberry muffin packed with all kinds of good nutrients. Enjoy!

Basic Blueberry Muffins

• 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup sugar-free applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Get out a large bowl and combine your apple juice concentrate, apples sauce, eggs and oil. Add the salt and mix everything with a whisk until it is smooth and creamy. Add the flour and baking soda. Mix it in using a large wooden spoon. Don’t overmix the batter at this point. Just get everything combined and a few lumps are fine. They will cook out later. The more you stir at this point, the tougher your muffins will get. Gently fold in the blueberries. Frozen blueberries do not need to be thawed, use them straight from the freezer.

Spray your muffin tin with nonstick spray or use paper cups and pour the batter in. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 20 minutes. Take the muffins out of the tin as soon as  they are cooled enough to touch and serve.

 

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups.

Get out a large bowl and combine all your dry ingredients. Those would be the two different flours, the sugar, oat bran, oats, wheat germ, baking powder and soda and the salt. Mix everything until well combined. Next get out a small bowl. Add your bananas and mash them up. Next add the buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla. Stir those ingredients together as well. Gently add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just long enough to get everything combined. Last but not least fold in the blueberries and walnuts. Pour your batter into the muffin tins.

Put the filled muffin tin in the oven and bake for about 18 minutes. The muffins will be golden brown. To test doneness, touch the top. If the muffins spring right back, they are done.

Oatmeal muffins are another favorite around here. They can be made with or without raisins. They are even good made with dried blueberries.