Blueberry Lavender Muffins

Hey, friends!

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe (or anything, for that matter) on here, but life kind of kicked me in the teeth over the past couple months (ahem, years), however this summer we are enjoying some real quiet and relaxation, so I'm trying some new things.

Add to that, that we're growing blueberries for the first time, and this morning I made blueberry lavender muffins that are pretty delicious, if you ask me. It made it extra special that I could use our homemade vanilla extract, homegrown lavender, and eggs from my neighbor. How delightful!

But don't worry, there's no story coming, there is no need to look for the "Jump to recipe" button, I got you. *wink*

This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Topping:

1/2 cup (100 g) dark muscovado (you can also use light, or dark brown sugar)

1/2 cup (50 g) oats

1 tsp cinnamon

Muffin batter:

1 3/4 cup (220 g) flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2/ tsp salt

1/2 - 1 tbsp crushed, dried lavender

1/2 cup (113 g) butter at room temperature

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

1/4 cup (50 g) dark muscovado

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk at room temperature

1 1/2 cup (approx. 210 g) fresh blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 215 °C (425 °F). Prep muffin pan - for me, that meant spraying non-stick spray on the pan, then making homemade liners from baking paper (because I really don't like the liners I can find here, no matter what I do, half of whatever I bake sticks to it). 

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and lavender. set aside.

3. Add butter and both sugars into a large mixing bowl, then using the paddle attachment of your standing mixer (you could also use a handheld mixer), cream together for 2 minutes on high-medium speed, scraping off the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. Add eggs in one at a time, on a medium speed, making sure they're incorporated before adding the next one.

5. Next, add the sour cream and vanilla on medium speed, until completely combined.

6. Reduce to low speed, and alternate adding dry ingredients and milk, until fully combined.

7. Remove bowl from standing mixer, and fold in blueberries.

8. Combine the topping ingredients in a separate bowl.

9. Spoon batter into cups until 2/3-3/4 full (I like more bakery style/size muffins, so they're a bit larger), then top with a generous spoonful of the topping.

10. Bake at 215 °C (425 °F) for 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to 175 °C (350 °F) for another 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (...and by clean, I mean clean of batter, you'll probably get some cooked blueberry on it regardless of doneness, but that's normal.)

11. Allow to sit for a few minutes, but after that, you should definitely treat yourself for a warm muffin! (These muffins stay good sealed, at room temperature for about 3 days. You could also freeze them for later!)

Tips: 

I've often read that tossing your blueberries in flour helps them not sink to the bottom. I did toss mine in flour, but then the muffin I cut open for pictures had them on the bottom mostly... and others that we ate later had them dispersed more evenly. So, I say give it a try, but it doesn't seem fool-proof.

Also, if you don't like the taste of lavender, you can certainly omit it. You can also use nuts instead of oats in your topping.

Enjoy!