Blueberry Muffin

 
I like muffins...they are cute :)  its easy to make, and its yummy.

Though muffins are considered a complete healthy meal elsewhere, in my house its always treated as a snack..Say, I make some sweet or savory muffin in the morning, everyone( read husband) eats a couple of them  and then after a while, here comes the question "what is for breakfast"..... are u kidding me?
but still I make them quite often as some evening snack...

I always love the jumbo blueberry muffin you get in the coffee shops... the juicy baked fruit that oozes out when you split open one, its divine :)
Take it from me, this is one easy on the go breakfast for all you busy bees out there. Make them ahead of time, and they do stay fresh for a day or two.

You'll need:

All purpose flour : 2 cups
Sugar: 1 cup
Butter: 1/2 cup (softened)
Baking Powder: 2 tsps
Egg: 2 nos
Milk: 1/2 cup
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp
Blueberries: 1 cup (fresh or frozen)

How to make:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line or grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
In an another bowl, cream softened butter and sugar using a mixer. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in milk and vanilla extract.Add the dry ingredients mixture into this, and beat it just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Fill in the prepared muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 min or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Notes:
These muffins are good as such without any toppings. If particular about topping, mix 2 tsps of sugar and 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg and sprinkle it over, after filling up the muffin tins.

Banana nut muffin...with a crunchy topping

what do you do with those over ripened bananas? I'm always out of options when i think of getting rid of the over ripened bananas...i like my banana just ripe....no more ..no less...even my li'l one enjoys hers the same way...usually we buy only a few at time, so that we don't have to worry about the over ripened ones...
was looking for ideas to use them, and happened to see this muffin recipe...which actually called for these over ripened bananas...bingo...there you go :)

and the crunchy topping.....an added bliss to the muffins...i have had these crunchy toppings in the store bought ones n have always wondered what they are...and here it is...a crowd pleaser...

You'll need:
For the muffin:
All purpose flour: 1 1/2 cups
Baking Soda: 1 1/2 tsps
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder: 1/8 tsp
Over ripened bananas: 4 nos
Chopped and roasted walnut or pecan: 1 cup
White sugar: 1/2 cup
Egg: 1 large
Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp
Butter: 1/2 cup (1 stick, softened)
Milk: 1/4 cup

For the topping:
All purpose flour: 2 tbsp
Cinnamon powder: 1/8 tsp
Butter: 1 tbsp
Brown sugar: 1/3 cup

How to make:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper muffin cups or grease with butter.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg powder.
In a small bowl, mash two bananas with a fork, so that they still have a texture.Set it aside.
In another bowl, mash the remaining two bananas along with the sugar using an electric mixer.
Add butter, milk, egg and vanilla extract and beat it together until its completely incorporated, scraping down the sides using a spatula as and when needed.
Add the dry ingredients mixture to this in batches and mix just until its well incorporated.
Fold in the chopped nuts and the reserved mashed bananas to this.
For the topping, in a small bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon powder and sugar. Cut in the butter to this mixture, until it resembles coarse corn meal.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups using an ice cream scoop. Sprinkle the top of muffins with the prepared topping.
Bake in the middle rack of the oven for about 18-20 min ,until the muffins turn golden brown or when the tester inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Let the muffin tray cool on the wire rack for a few minutes, before you indulge yourself in those delicious yummy muffins...
Serve it hot...the best way to enjoy them, enjoy a few crunchy crumbs on the top first....and then dive into the muffin...yummm