It all starts so innocent. You wake up and want a delicious treat, but don’t feel like making anything. “A trip to the coffee shop every once in a while isn’t going to break me,” you tell yourself. Soon enough, you find yourself getting that coffee and muffin every morning, and before you know it, your bank account is empty. No, your identity wasn’t stolen. You spent it all on those breakfast trips!
Ok, that might be a little drastic…but you get the point. I used to love going to coffee shops for the experience more than the coffee and muffin. I never really had a sweet tooth until I got pregnant, but I loved how bustling it was and all the conversation that was happening. It was a common place to see your friends, and my favorite coffee shop in Sacramento had a sweet back patio.
With my little one, the coffee shop trips are a lot less common, and I usually stick to making coffee at home. I also found a way to have a treat every morning – and not have to pay anything for it! No, I have not taken to shoplifting. I just make a dozen of muffins every week, silly!
I usually stick to my favorite blueberry muffins from Sally’s Baking Addiction, but since my mom let me borrow her America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, I have a new muffin contender: the Lemon-Blueberry Muffin. I tried looking up the recipe online, but you need a subscription to get it, so I will share my version here:
Here’s what you need:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
- 1 cup sugar (I did half organic sugar/ half honey)
- 1 tblsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup whole or low-fat plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 8 tblsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled (You can find butter substitutes from The Gracious Pantry and you can buy organic butter)
First, you want to whisk all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then, you want to mix the yogurt and eggs in a separate bowl (if you are using lemon, add 1 tsp of grated lemon zest to the yogurt mix). Add the yogurt mix to the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the butter. If you are adding blueberries, you should toss them with flour first so they won’t sink in the batter. I just learned this. That’s why I love this book. Then mix them in the batter.
Set your oven for 375 deg and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. The book says to grease a 1/3 cup measure, to equally portion the batter. I just used a cookie scoop and did two scoops per muffin cup. However you want to do, just make sure it’s all mixed together good. Or else the texture will be inconsistent, and you will find yourself back at the coffee shop.
Bake them for about 15 minutes then rotate the pan and bake them for another 10 minutes. They may need a little longer, but my muffins were perfect after 25 minutes. Stick a toothpick in and if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, they’re done. If it comes out sticky, they need a little more time.
You can purchase the baking book on Amazon and you can subscribe to America’s Test Kitchen to find more delicious recipes. Have a favorite breakfast recipe to share? Post the link in the comments and share on your social media sites! Stay thrifty, my friends.
