Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins

In college I worked at Kanakuk Kamps, a Christian Athletic Camp near Branson, Missouri. I absolutely loved kamp and every summer I miss going down. One food memory I have from camp are the Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins from Persimmon Hill Berry Farm (roughly 20 miles southwest of Branson). On change over days parents would bring muffins for the counselors and on days off we counselors would go to the farm to pick fresh berries for ourselves.

A surviving relic from my kamp days is the recipe for Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins from the little cookbook I bought my first summer from Persimmon Hill. These became one of my specialties in college--one could not make much in the small on campus apartments but muffins worked well.

Over the years I've tweaked the original recipe a bit but nothing really all that significant. With any baked good, you control the quality of the ingredients. I try and use fresh blueberries when they are in season because they are truly beautiful then--they have a sweet complexity in their peak--and even better straight from the sunny fields of a farm, that their grocery store cousins simply cannot match.

I love making these after I've had a rough day--baking is straight forward--if you use high quality ingredients and measure properly you will be rewarded with a beautiful product. Life is messy and unpredictable, baking is orderly and it makes me feel like everything is right again at the end of my day.

Blueberry "Thunder" Muffins

Adapted from Persimmon Hill Berry Farm

Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk (original recipe calls for milk)
1 tsp. vanilla (I am generous with this)
2 to 2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:

1 Tbsp. sugar (sanding sugar or turbinano works best for this)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + dash (I prefer ceylon)

Directions
1. Line a muffin pan w/ paper liners (I use an old tin called Muffinaire my mother-in-law gave Dan--it's not the best pan necessarily but it is a molded pan so it is SOOOOO easy to clean.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt (and dash of cinnamon for good measure); set aside.

2. Cream butter & sugar; add eggs one at a time (eggs need to be room temp) and vanilla (mixture will look slightly curdled). Alternate adding flour mixture and milk until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (I use a mini ladle for this step), filling each nearly full. In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over batter. (I am very generous with my cinnamon sugar--a crumble type topping would also be tasty here)

4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven 25 to 30 minutes (standard) or 35 to 40 minutes (Texas sized) or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan; serve warm. Makes 16 standard or 6 jumbo muffins.

Remi plopped down on Dan's lap while I was baking...too cute, big dork.