Chasing away the blues with blueberry muffins...

I think the winter blues are out looking for me, but I am determined not to let them catch up!

2011 has started with some challenges for our family and I am trying to keep us focused so we can get past them and make this a great year.  This week we have a few friends struggling with serious health problems, and our thoughts are with them for a speedy recovery.  This makes me also remember how lucky I am to be healthy and have a healthy family.  That is a great comfort to me, and is probably what gives me the strength to remain positive even when life throws in a speed bump along the way.

So, what do I do when I feel blue?  I bake.  Somehow the routine of assembling the ingredients, reading a recipe and making it, is therapeutic.  It makes me feel good.

The taste of blueberries make me happy too...maybe it's because they remind me of hot summer days when we can pick them in our backyard.  A little taste-bud escape from the rainy, winter day outside.

The recipe I have chosen is Shari's Any Berry Muffins  - it was shared with me three years ago by a dear friend of mine.  This is not the first time I have made these!  


Shari's Any Berry Muffins

• 1 cup frozen berries
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  Mix yoghurt and baking soda together in a glass dish/measuring cup, cover with plastic wrap and allow to expand.  In a separate bowl beat egg.  Add vanilla, oil and sugar.  Then start adding dry mixture and yoghurt mixture, mixing by hand - alternating small amounts at a time.  Add berries - folding into batter gently.  Bake regular sized muffins at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted comes out clean.  Makes 12 muffins.

Notes:  I used blueberries to make my batch of muffins.  I also decreased the amount of sugar to 3/4 of what the recipe calls for, otherwise I followed the instructions.  I think it would be interesting to try this recipe with apple sauce instead of the oil - if I had some on hand I would have done it today.  (when I make these next time I will try it that way and leave my thoughts in the comments here)  I made my batch in a mini-muffin pan - it yielded 24 muffins.  I adjusted the baking time to 20 minutes and they came out perfect.  

Verdict:  These are delicious blueberry muffins - nice and moist because of the yoghurt!  My children love them and are excited they have gone to school in their lunch bags.  This is a basic recipe that I think you could jazz up with a little kitchen imagination...maybe a little lemon zest or some chopped pecans?  If you like a classic blueberry muffin then leave the recipe as is, and serve them warm with a little pat of butter for breakfast.  Yummy!