Blueberry Muffins

These may not be the prettiest blueberry muffins (and I apologize for the really bad picture), but they tasted great!  This recipe is from Ina Garten, and her recipes never disappoint.  Even though these didn't have the nice, pretty, rounded muffin tops, they had a great flavor and texture.  The sweetness of the batter balanced out the tartness of the blueberries perfectly.

We had these muffins for Sunday brunch a few weekends ago, and then we snacked on them for a few days afterwards.  I will definitely be making this recipe again.  Next time, I might add a little lemon zest to the batter.

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I know, I know, this is a lot of butter)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used 2 teaspoons, I always like a little extra vanilla)
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream (don't skip this!  It makes the texture perfect)
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (I was too lazy to sift). With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.

I was hesitant to fill the muffin cups over the top with batter, but follow the directions and do this because these muffins don't rise like most do.  They will have a flat muffin top, which might not be as pretty but once you bite into these you'll forget about the flat tops because they taste great!