I have a love/hate relationship with blueberries that falls directly on the low bush/high bush divide. I'll admit it, before I moved to Maine I didn't know there were different kinds, but boy is there a big difference. The low-bush or wild blueberry is a thing of beauty, small, tart and delicious. The high bush blueberry on the other hand, I feel is gritty, heavy, and lacking in flavor. In short - I am not a fan.
I wish I could say the berries in the recipe came from wild blueberries we hand picked somewhere in a distant field (and if you know a good place to pick wild blueberries in Southern Maine, let me know - please!!), but they didn't - but they are wild Maine blueberries, and those are tasty enough for me.
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
(adapted from Whipped's Cranberry Orange Muffins)
Makes 12-16 muffins
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- zest of one washed lemon
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tablespoon lemon juice)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries
Preheat oven to 375°F.
If making buttermilk, mix milk and lemon juice and set aside until needed.
Grease or line muffin cups. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and buttermilk in a separate mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
Toss blueberries in a small amount of flour until coated and fold into batter. Fill each muffin cup about three-quarters full. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean (20-24 minutes). Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes and eat warm with butter.