Blueberry Muffins

A good blueberry muffin should be soft, moist and bursting with blueberries. A great blueberry muffin should be all that and just as delicious the next day! I consider this a great blueberry muffin recipe.

I love using vegetables in baking (it’s probably the mother in me) for added moisture as well as increasing the nutritional content. You honestly cannot taste the courgette (zucchini/baby marrow) in this recipe. However, if you prefer not to use it (or if it is out of season), feel free to leave it out, just add another 1/4 cup (60g) of Greek yoghurt. Caster sugar gives a fine texture to the baked muffin, but you can use granulated white sugar instead if you need. Do not be put off by the crumble top, it is incredibly easy to make, and it adds a little something special. See the how-to video here: Alana Smith (@alanasmithsweetphotography) (instagram.com)

Makes 10-12 standard size muffins

COURGETTE & BLUEBERRY MUFFIN BATTER

courgette/zucchini/baby marrow, 1 (medium) - about 100g or 3/4 cup finely grated

eggs, 2

unsweetened, full fat yoghurt, 125g (125ml or 1/2 cup) - a Greek style yoghurt works well

oil, 50g (60ml or 1/4 cup) - a neutral flavour oil works well (I like using extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil)

unsalted butter, 100g

caster sugar, 100g (125ml or 1/2 cup)

plain/cake/all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free flour blend), 225g (375ml or 1 + 1/2 cup)

baking powder, 10ml (2 teaspoons)

fine salt, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon)

blueberries (fresh or frozen), 125g (about 1 cup) - usually 1 punnet

CRUMBLE TOPPING

unsalted butter, 25g (just under 2 tablespoons)

caster sugar, 25g (about 2 tablespoons)

plain/cake/all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free flour blend), 25g (about 2 tablespoons)

To start, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a standard size muffin tin with baking cups (or grease well with butter).

Grate the courgette/zucchini/baby marrow (ends trimmed off) using the fine side of a box grater or microplane before placing it in a large mixing bowl.

Add the wet ingredients including the butter (melted in a small bowl in the microwave) and sugar. Mix until uniform.

Add the dry ingredients and gently mix together until almost combined.

Add the blueberries and fold them in until just combined.

Divide the mixture among the baking cups (about 2/3 full).

For the crumble topping, if your butter is hard out of the fridge, soften it for a couple of seconds in a medium heat-proof bowl (short bursts in the microwave) until soft (but preferably not melted).

Add the remaining ingredients and mix together until clumpy.

Divide the crumble mixture among the baking cups, topping each muffin batter amount with a bit of the crumble mixture.

Bake the muffins for approximately 20 - 25 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean).

Delicious warm out of the oven but will keep for a couple of days stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or freezer for up to three months).