Blueberry Muffins

Awhile ago, we lived in Telluride, CO, and living near us were two of our dearest friends.  They were the reason we moved to the boxed in canyon, dead end street town.  Not to say anything disparaging about Telluride, as it is indisputably one of the most beautiful towns in the lower 48.  But food is difficult to come by there.  We traveled to not so nearby Montrose every other week to stock up on goods.  Despite this, our friends never seemed to be short on food, delicious food at that.  If we stopped by their house in the morning, it was par for the course to have fresh waffles or my favorite, fresh, huge blueberry muffins.  

Within a year of our arrival, both couples soon moved from Telluride, we to Portland and they to Austin.   But I have never forgotten those muffins.  I got the recipe and even bought oversized muffin tins to replicate them exactly.  They are nothing extravagant but just right.  They have the perfect crumb and density that I crave in a muffin. 

So, looking at the blueberry muffin recipe in Baking with Julia, I was reluctant to even try it.  It requires a few more steps than the normal muffin recipe and it even states the muffins turn out with a flat top, not at all like my giant overstuffed muffins of Telluride.  

I tried it anyway.  It turned out just fine.  But that's just it, fine.  The crumb is light and cake-like, maybe too light for me, as I am not a big cake fan.  So for cake lovers these may be the perfect recipe.  

As for me I will stick with my friends' recipe.  

Rhiannon on a BC Ferry

This blog participates in Tuesday with Dorie baking group.  See the link for others' experience with this week's recipe.

Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

For this post, my blog should be named "Baking with Quinn", Rhiannon's older brother.  This simple recipe was one my son could almost do on his own.  Almost.  It did require him to wash his hands multiple times about which he was not too excited; he would have preferred to keep them eggy and buttery and sugary.  So here he is mixing the shortening with the flour and sugar, some of which would become the crumb topping.

And here he is beating the eggs.  He preferred using a spoon and a fork for this.

And fast forward a few steps (literally a few, as there weren't too many steps to this recipe) and here he is filling the muffin tins.

After 25 minutes in the oven, here they were ready to eat.  Simple, easy muffins.  Simple flavors, too.  Nothing extraordinary but solid.

He didn't even make a big mess:

We did this recipe while on a weekend away to Central Oregon with some friends.  My friend Mark volunteered to clean up some of the mess we did make.  And Rhiannon got some much needed time in the dry desert.

For the recipe check out Alisa's blog at easier than pie.