BUTTERMILK BERRY MUFFINS, ADAPTED

Another great recipe from
JoyofBaking.com. This is a thick batter, and it's loaded with berries. I used frozen and the results were great. I love the texture and flavor of this muffin and love all the berries. Moist, tender and flavorful -- this one's a keeper!

Buttermilk Berry Muffins, Adapted

Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half bread flour + half whole-wheat pastry flour)

3/4 cup sugar + 1-1/2 tsp. sugar for topping

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)

zest of 1 orange (I used 1 packet True Lemon; 2 packets True Orange; 2 tsp. orange zest + 2 tsp. lemon zest)

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided use

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk + 1/4 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt)

2/3 cup canola oil (I used 1/2 cup applesauce + enough oil to make 2/3 cup)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon and orange zests till well combined. Stir in 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup of raspberries, mixing till they are well coated with the flour mixture.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, applesauce, oil and vanilla till smooth and well combined. With a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring only until they are just barely combined. Do not overmix. A few lumps are ok. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup almost full of batter.

Sprinkle each muffin top with about 1/8 tsp. sugar. Evenly divide the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries -- place on top of muffins, pressing in slightly. Bake in center of oven 15-20 minutes, or till toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 standard-size muffins. These are yummy!