Every since I was a kid
I've had a weakness for blueberry muffins
But now that I'm a so-called "grown up"
I've accepted the reality that my beloved blueberry muffins
are really blueberry cupcakes.
Muffins - Schmuffins
Alas, a cupcake does not a breakfast or healthy snack make.
That's why I decided to play around with the traditional blueberry muffin formula...
I used cake flour to keep the muffins fluffy, moist and
light. I
used frozen wild blueberries to keep the batter to berry ratio
perfectly balanced. A quick toss in cake flour helped to keep the
berries from sinking to the bottom. To boost the protein and take the
place of some of the oil, I used nonfat Greek yogurt. Lemon zest adds
all the health benefits of the essential oils found in fresh
lemons.
The bottom line is this: These muffins are scrumptious!
They're the perfect blend of sweet and tart. They're lower in fat than traditional blueberry muffins and will provide more lasting satisfaction because of the protein from the Greek Yogurt.
Lemon-Blueberry Muffins with Greek Yogurt
Yield: 1 dozen
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 22-23 minutes
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- The zest of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, etc)
- 12 oz. frozen wild blueberries* tossed with 2 TB cake flour
For the glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered/confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Prep: Preheat oven to 400° F. Arrange oven rack to middle position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Spray the top of the muffin pan with nonstick spray (to prevent muffin tops from sticking.)
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the sugar and eggs until thick and pale yellow.
Step 3: Stir in the yogurt, lemon zest and oil.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir just to combine, so that no white streaks remain.
Step 5: In a separate bowl, gently toss the frozen berries with 2 Tablespoons of cake flour. Then add to the batter and gently fold in with a rubber spatula.
Step
6: Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Muffin cups will be nearly full. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes at 400 for maximum rise. Then, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 12-13 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean (without any wet batter).
Step
7: Remove muffins immediately from the pan and transfer to a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes. While muffins are cooling, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Dip each muffin top in the glaze and gently shake off excess. Return to the rack to finish cooling.
Enjoy warm or cold.
* I like the wild blueberries from Trader Joe's. Welches also sells wild blueberries in the frozen section at Target. You can use fresh or regular frozen blueberries if you wish.