Lemon Blueberry Muffins

It was a very cold and rainy day today and the kids and I were bored. Since I can only handle so much Zingo and Candyland, I suggested we make muffins. Both kids wanted blueberry muffins and I thought we should add lemon too. When looking for recipes, I ran across one from Food and Wine that looked good because it didn't use a whole stick of butter and only a little bit of oil. After consuming so much Easter candy, I thought healthier muffins would be a good thing for all of us. I have discovered that cooking and baking with kids is a lot of fun, however, it is a much slower process than cooking by myself. Unfortunately going much slower made the blueberries start to melt and the muffin batter turn purple. Luckily, my daughter was absolutely thrilled to have such pretty purple muffins - all things happen for a reason I guess. I loved the extra zest in the muffins, it really complimented the blueberry flavor. They were really delicious, especially fresh from the oven, slathered with butter.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of frozen blueberries, plus a few extra for the top of each muffin
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Finely grated zest of 2 small lemons
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 packets of raw cane sugar, for the top of each muffin

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a muffin tray with baking spray then set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the blueberries. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, oil, lemon zest and the lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until blended; do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the muffin tray then top with additional blueberries and sprinkle raw sugar on each muffin.

Bake for about 20-23 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm slathered in butter. Enjoy.

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