WILD BLUEBERRY MUFFINS with CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING

  I am trying my hardest to grow most of the fresh garden produce we eat throughout the summer months.  And in addition to dining on heirloom vegetables as much as possible during that time, I am also freezing much of it in the forms of fresh, blanched and sauced.  My husband makes the rounds of the local shops buying our meat, much of it raised locally.  With all that said, my husband was surprised when I told him I purchased a membership at Costco.  Actually, he wasn't surprised, he was astonished. 

  I'm not beyond saving a few bucks, you see, and there are certain things that just aren't produced in Minnesota.  At Costco I can get huge bags of almonds and pecans, big bottles of pure vanilla extract, and what got me really excited was when I saw the large containers of dry yeast selling for less than the jar of yeast I have been buying at the grocery store.  I rarely get out of Costco without buying some European cheese, organic eggs or fingerling potatoes.  What I purchased on my last visit there was an enormous bag of frozen wild blueberries (at a great price).  I had been wanting to make these muffins for some time, and the recipe encouraged using wild versus regular.  I love these muffins and have made them several times now.  Some suggestions:  If you want to cut back on the amount of sugar in these muffins, forget the last step of dipping the crowns into melted butter, followed by the sugar-cinnamon mixture.  They taste very good without this topping.  Also, when adding the blueberries, if using frozen, mix them first with about a tablespoon of flour which will prevent somewhat, the blueberries bleeding into the flour mixture.

               WILD BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK CINNAMON MUFFINS
                          adapted from In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley
Topping:
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Muffins:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup fresh wild blueberries, picked over (or substitute the same amount of frozen wild blueberries)

1.  Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. (the recipe calls for 350˚, but I always feel I get the best results with muffins if baked at 400˚).  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.  Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the vanilla.
2.  Into a separate bowl, sift both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the flour mixture to the butter in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, dividing evenly.
3.  Bake in the center of the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden.  Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.  Dip the crowns of each muffin first into the cooled melted butter, then into the sugar-cinnamon mixture, then finish cooling on a wire rack.