BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

This was my go-to blueberry muffin recipe and I modified to make it "real food".  The recipe came from justapinch.com and you can find the original post here:

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/bread/muffins/blueberry-blueberry-muffins.html?p=1

Yes, I still use sugar - I have not yet tried to make this with another sweetener like pure maple syrup or otherwise.

Note that many of the ingredients need to be room temperature - I have found this to be important in most baking.  Take the time to set your ingredients out for a couple hours to get to room temperature.

You can make this in regular size muffin tins (you can get 12-16 from this recipe), but lately I have been making them as mini muffins and I get 36 of them.  Sometimes you don't want the whole big muffin and the mini muffins make different portions for different people possible.  Plus they are so darn cute!

INGREDIENTS

Muffins

1 Stick Butter - Room Temperature  OR 1/2 stick butter & 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt - Room Temperature
1 cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs - Room Temperature
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest (this is my addition to the original recipe)
2 1/2 cup Fresh Blueberries (If I don't have fresh I thaw some frozen organic blueberries)
2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Milk - Room Temperature
Paper muffin liners (optional) see step 7 in directions below.

Crumb Topping

1/4 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Butter - Cold

NOTE - I use organic butter, yogurt, sugar, eggs, blueberries, flour and milk.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven 375 for conventional oven (325 convection oven)

1. Measure 3/4 cup blueberries and mash them with a fork.
2. Cream butter ( and yogurt) and sugar with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, vanilla, baking powder salt, and lemon zest mix well.
4. Add the mashed blueberries and mix on low.
5. Add half the flour, mix on low until combined well, mix in half the milk on low...add the remaining half of flour mixing on low...then end with the remaining milk still mixing on low until well blended.
6. Fold in whole blueberries.
7. Scoop into prepared muffin pan (either paper lined or use butter).  If you have non-stick pans - you can use butter - use a crumpled up piece of waxed paper rubbed on a stick of butter and then rubbed into the bottom and sides of muffin tins, and a little around the top edges.  The original recipe called for Pam but I just can't use that stuff anymore.  If you are not using non-stick muffin pans - paper muffin liners are probably your best bet.
8. To make the crumb topping, put the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl and use a fork or pastry blender to combine the ingredients into a crumbly mixture.
9. Sprinkle tops of the muffins with crumb topping mixture.
10. Let rest about 5 minutes before baking.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375.  (25 minutes at 325 for a convection oven)
11. Let cool before trying to remove from pan.