Recipes | Breakfast Baking with Summer Berries

Summer is still in full swing in our household.  We've officially crossed into the Too-Much- Togetherness phase of summer vacation. And while I think we are all ready for a little separation and more routine, I will freely admit that I'm not ready to give up our summer mornings.  To me, they are the best part of summer vacation.  Especially once swim season is over, because we stay in our PJs till 11:00 {or later} and breakfast is an unhurried affair usually commencing around 10:00.  In the summer, I happily indulge most breakfast requests, especially those that involve summer berries.   I can't tell you how many times we've quickly ducked into the grocery store in our PJs just to pick up the off ingredient or two I didn't have on hand to make our new, on a whim, recipe. A couple weeks ago it was for blueberry muffins.  I typed a request into Food Gawker {awesome site if you haven't discovered it} and came across THE BEST blueberry muffins I've ever tried. It helps that the blue berries are darn near perfect right now, toss in lemon zest {always a favorite ingredient of mine} and top it off with a doughnut glaze.  Oh yeah. They are THAT good.  Recipe form My Baking Addiction

BLUEBERRY DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk 1 1/3 cup fresh blueberries

FOR THE GLAZE

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon warm water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin, or line with 12 paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the lemon zest and sugars. Use your fingertips to incorporate the zest into the sugars until it is moist and fragrant.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

6. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and water. Whisk until smooth.

8. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice.

9. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day. 

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This morning I was at it again.  Baking up some warm berry goodness, but this time it was of a slightly healthier {meh, maple syrup and butter are good for you, right?!} variety, in the form of baked berry oatmeal with walnuts and bananas. Recipe found on Rustic Rooster.  I couldn't be happier about this discovery.  I've always wanted to like oatmeal but couldn't get over it's consistency, unless it was in the form of a cookie or crumb topping on a fruit crisp or a muffin, just not alone.  However, baked was a whole different story.  Now I like oatmeal. I'm an oatmeal eater. What are you having for breakfast, just a little oatmeal and a cup of tea, you?   Oh, the possibilities for fall!!  Find the recipe here...