banana blueberry lemon muffins | hello, sweetie!
Here in Upstate New York, blueberry season is in full swing. There are so many farms close by; picking your own fruit becomes a great little excursion for families. Aside from pies, cobblers and cereal toppers, I was hoping for a way to preserve the flavors of the season a bit longer. My cousin mentioned she'd recently made muffins to freeze...PERFECT! And so the search for a great muffin began. Not your average coffee-shop-blueberry-muffin mind you, but something a little more complex in flavor (not effort though). I had a bunch of bananas that were starting to show their age as well as a few lemons. It turned out to be a great combination! The fruit kept the bread moist and tender while lemon juice and zest perfumed it enough to be memorable but not overpowering. No butter needed for this breakfast treat!
banana blueberry lemon muffins | hello, sweetie!
Recipe adapted slightly from Taste of Home.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 mashed ripened bananas
- 1 cup blueberries (rinsed and dried)
- zest of one lemon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 2 Tablespoons of the flour and set aside. This will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Beat in the banana. Slowly add the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture until JUST incorporated. Fold in the berries gently with a spatula. Fill 18 greased muffin cups* about 3/4 full and bake approximately 23-25 minutes until puffed and golden. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the muffins to a cooling rack. Enjoy immediately or freeze for later. When thawing, remove one muffin at a time and microwave on high for 30 seconds.
*Batter can also be baked in 3 mini loaf pans, for 30-35 minutes.
banana blueberry lemon muffins | hello, sweetie!