Blueberry & Lemon Muffins

I’m now back home in New Zealand for a bit after living the past 3 years in New York City. I absolutely adore NYC and its craziness and how there’s always something going on, be it a concert in the park, a food festival or a parade. But as anyone who has lived there will tell you: no matter how much you love it, you need a break from all that craziness every so often. After 1.5 years away from my Mum, family & friends, I really felt the pull to come back and relax for a bit. Not that it will be all relaxation, but the change of scenery is definitely good for the soul. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s summer here! Before going overseas I am sure I took life in New Zealand for granted. The beach is only a 5 to 10 minute drive from my Mum’s house, and we don’t have just one to choose from, there are many. I only went to the beach 3 times last summer in NYC, as to get to the nice beaches in Long Island, you need to get a train there (if you don’t have a car), which takes close to an hour.And there’s nothing like getting to enjoy your Mum’s cooking again. I’m taking advantage of my Mum’s kitchen to do some baking and I’m loving the backyard with the BBQ table to take natural light photos outside. This can be a bit tricky in NYC as I didn’t have a backyard there. The first thing I baked were these Blueberry & Lemon Muffins. Packed full of juicy blueberries, these muffins are perfect to bridge the gap between breakfast and lunch. I always need a mid-morning snack! Needless to say they haven’t lasted very long here. These muffins are very light and springy, and use vanilla Greek yogurt to keep them moist. I am without my beloved camera at the moment, so these photos were all taken with my iPhone.

Recipe adapted from Food Network.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 2 lemons
1 cup Greek yogurt, I used vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries (keep frozen until needed)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (175 degrees celsius). Line muffin pan with 12 paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the Greek yogurt. Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. (batter will be thick and fluffy). Gently stir in the blueberries, taking care so they don’t bleed to much into the mixture.

4. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle some sugar over the tops. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins get a pale golden color on top. Cool slightly and serve warm (they’re the best at this stage) or at room temperature.

My helpers eagerly waiting for a taste