A Berry Delightful Experiance!

So I thought I would share one of the most complimented items I serve here at the Inn. The Perfect Strussel Topped Blueberry Muffin! No joke these are some pretty tasty muffins. Not to sweet, not at all greasy, and perfectly moist every time! And thanks to an impromptu blueberry picking jaunt on the way home from the grocery store, I'll probably have some more blueberry recipes coming soon! I also thought I would again remind everyone of how amazing this area is and why you NEED to come visit me! SOON!!

The Inn is in an area of of the foothills know as Apple Hill. Aptly named for the dozens of orchards and farms spread throughout the area. And they don't just grow apples! There's everything from apples and berries to nuts, pumpkins, plums and even kiwi! That's all before you even get to the wineries! There are over fifteen wineries within 10 minutes of our front door! To make the area even more interesting, we have an amazing lake with miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails just 15 minutes north of us! Can rent boats and it's well stocked for the fisherman out there. We are also about 20 minutes away from the American River and some world class rafting! And if the great outdoors just aren't your thing there are several little historic towns with loads of antiques, art galleries and cafes and restaurants, all within about  30 minutes of the Inn. I honestly can't think of a reason you wouldn't want to come!! So COME!

Alright back to the muffins! The blueberries for these muffins come form the Pine O' Mine Orchard. I had the opportunity to meet Grandma, who, along with her son and grandson, runs the farm. They have quit the variety of U-Pick items through out the year and they were the first to have ripe blueberries after the late and lingering winter. 

So lets start by taking a look at what you will need for the strussel topping:

 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbs butter

Now this topping could be used for so many different things and you'll have at least half left over. Just put it in a ziplock bag in the fridge and it will keep a couple of weeks. The easiest way to make it is in a food processor, but if you don't have one a pastry cutter or two butter knives will work. I use a hand cranked food processor. So throw all your ingredients together and start cranking!

 

Your finished product should be the consistence of wet sand. Once you get to that point you can put it in the fridge and start mixing the muffins.

  Alright, lets look at what you need for the muffins:

5 Tbs room temp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 lg egg

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp lemon zest (or juice)

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups fresh blueberries (frozen are okay)

To start you'll want to preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease and flour your muffin tins. This batch will make 6 perfect giant muffins or 10 regular muffins. Now if you have liners a quick mist of cooking spray will work, however, if you are not using a liner, you will need to grease (not spray) and flour your tins. Then it's time to cream your butter and sugar.

 

Once it's nice and fluffy you'll beat in the egg and then the sour cream. The sour cream is what makes these muffins sooo amazing! Not only does it make them perfectly moist, it also gives them a unique flavor. Okay - at this point your mixture should be like a heavy mousse.

Next you'll want to mix you dry ingredients together and then slowly add them to the sour cream mixture. You'll also have to switch to mixing by hand because it is incredible thick! Almost to the point of a dough.

 Don't freak out at how thick it gets. It really is supposed to be this way. Next you'll add your berries. I actually add about a cup because I like it that way - you can adjust to amount to your personal preference. And you don't have to stick with just blueberries. I use any and every berry I have on hand, including strawberries. Just get creative and do what you like!

Now you can plop them in the muffin tins. Again - it will make 6 giant muffins or 10 regular sized muffins.

All that's left is the topping we made earlier. In all honesty you really don't have to put the topping on but they are so much prettier and yummier with it! For the giant muffins I put about a tablespoon of topping on each one. That would probably be about a teaspoon for regular sized muffins. And now in to the oven the go!

 They should take about 25 to 30 minutes to bake depending on the size. The smell of these wonderful baking muffins probably get as many comments as the muffins themselves!

And there you have it! The perfect blueberry muffin and a crowd pleaser every time! And if you feel like this recipe is just to complicated and time consuming you can always head over here to Inn and I would be happy to make them for you!!

 

Hope You Enjoy!