There are no words to describe how perfect these muffins are. They are so incredibly moist and fluffy. The wild blueberries lend a robust tartness, the lavender is floral and comforting and sugar sprinkled on top gives a nice, sweet crunch. I don't know if I'll be able to resist making them again this weekend!
I have a different blueberry muffin recipe on Produce On Parade. You can see it here. But I didn't do my homework well enough. Move aside old blueberry muffins because these muffins will top any other blueberry muffin you've ever have tried. Yes, I am making that claim. I will never look for a different base recipe for blueberry muffins. They are that good. I of course "veganized", and "snobbified" this recipe from Cook's Illustrated. If you don't know about Cook's Illustrated then you better go find out about here. I can pretty much credit everything I've ever learned about how to cook well, to my parents and Cook's Illustrated. Cook's Illustrated is a magazine. They also have a site online as well as podcasts! Growing up, my grandparents as well as my parents subscribed to the magazine and I looked forward to it every month. I loved the always changing watercolor illustrations of various fruits and vegetables that was on the back cover. Yet, my favorite part of the magazine was the "Taste Test" part, where they ranked various canned/boxed or jarred food items by taste and affordability. I also loved the "What Is It?" article. Readers send in photos of some random and obscure kitchen gadgets that they found in their great grandmother's kitchen and they are explained in detail what they are and what they were used for. In regards to the images in the magazine, most are all sketched as opposed to actual photos which is really cool. As somewhat of an artist myself, I always cherished that. Though, I don't get the magazines anymore because I use the online subscription.
Don't know the difference between quinoa and couscous? Does chopping an onion take more than 5 minutes? If you're new to cooking, or just looking to better your chef skills, Cooks Illustrated is where to get your start. They even have an online "cooking school". Take a look at their site to see recipes, equipment reviews (which I love!), and taste tests. America's Test Kitchen is under the same umbrella as Cook's Illustrated as well as Cook's Country and they're one of my favorite shows on television. If you've never checked out the show, there's a link to when they air on TV, here. I feel I should note that I am in no way affiliated with them, though I wish I was...I just really think there's a lot to learn from them!
Okay, so let's remember this muffin recipe was inspired by them. They are divine. I made these for our family's August birthday party. Todd as well as my Grandma, Grandpa, Dad and Uncle all have August birthdays so we just have one big celebration towards the end of the month. I will tell you that there was German chocolate (the standard) as well as red velvet cake at the party, but my little brother only wanted the muffins. He kept asking me, "Is it okay if I have another?" I think he had three or four! There are no words to describe how perfect these muffins are.
The Best Lavender Blueberry Muffins
By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade
There are no words to describe how perfect these muffins are. They are so incredibly moist and fluffy. The wild blueberries lend a robust tartness, the lavender is floral and comforting and sugar sprinkled on top gives a nice, sweet crunch. I don't know if I'll be able to resist making them again this weekend!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
- 2 Tbsp. cold water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup granulated vegan sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) vegan sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries, wild if you can find them
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lavender, minced
- extra sugar, for sprinkling on top
- Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a regular 12 muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the cold water and flaxseed and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In an electric stand mixer bowl or a large bowl add the flax mixture and the sugar and whisk vigorously for about 1 minute. Add the butter and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and sour cream in two steps, mixing until just combined.
- Add the frozen blueberries and lavender to the dry mixture; toss to coat. Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just combined. Be very cautious not to overmix. There may even be some sprays of flour and that's okay. The batter should be very thick.
- Drop an even amount of dough into each muffin space on the pan. Do not flatten or arrange the batter and do not overfill. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes until somewhat firm and a light golden brown around the edges. Rotate the pan halfway through.
- Remove from pan and place on a wire cooling rack; sprinkle with sugar if you like and allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
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Yield: 12 muffins
