Fruity Blueberry Muffins

Muffins! Spongy, sugar coated and full of big, juicy blueberries that pop open in your mouth when you take the first bite, that's the perfect muffin to me! After my wintery blood orange marmalade muffin and my drunken Irish Coffee Muffin, the time was ripe for a fresh and fruity weekend muffin. I make the dough with buttermilk which gives them a light and fluffy texture, it's so light that you can empty half a tray without noticing!

You could also replace the blueberries with raspberries or strawberries which are at the peak of their season here at the moment. Peaches are nice too although I think it's still a bit early for them. I've spotted them at the markets already, from Italy mainly, but they don't look ripe and juicy yet, more pale and hard as a rock. I'd rather wait another month or two for a satisfying peach experience.

Frozen fruits work as well but keep in mind that they will soak the dough a bit more as they are a bit soggy when they have been defrosted. The muffins may need a little longer in the oven and won't give you the full berry aroma, so if possible, throw in the fresh ones!

Blueberry Muffins

You need a muffin tray with 12 molds and paper baking cups.

• plain flour 200g / 7 ounces

• granulated sugar 70g / 2.5 ounces plus 1 teaspoon for the topping

• baking powder 2 1/2 teaspoons

• baking soda 1/2 teaspoon

• a pinch of salt

• buttermilk 190ml / 6.5 ounces

• butter, melted, 90g / 3 ounces

• organic egg 1

• a pinch of fresh vanilla

• blueberries 180g / 6.5 ounces

Set your oven to 200°C / 390°F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (except the vanilla). Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla and egg in another bowl. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, stir with a wooden spoon until you have a lumpy dough and gently fold in the blueberries. The more you mix it the more it will lose its light texture so don’t mix it too long.

Fill the muffin tray, sprinkle some sugar on top and bake for 14 minutes or until golden.