(A+) Blackberry, Lemon And Thyme Muffins

If I had to make a list of my favorite foods in the whole wide world it would start with 1. Chocolate Chip Cookies 2. Muffins 3. Grapefruit. This post picks up at #2; a quite outstanding #2. 

If you eat as many muffins as I do, you begin to appreciate a really good muffin when you eat one. When I say really good, I don't just mean flavor. Of course that is a major component, but as any muffin connoisseur knows, there is so much more to it. Like muffin top quality, density, moistness, proper sweetness, etc.

It is in light of this muffin grading scale that I present to you an A+ muffin: Blackberry, Lemon And Thyme Muffins to be exact. Is it any surprise that the recipe comes from LA's famed Cake Monkey? The lovely store front-less bakery that sells their delicious treats at places like Intelligentsia and Umami Burger. Known for their perfect execution of every element of their desserts and high quality ingredients, you can't not love them. And the same is true of these muffins; they bare the same high quality seal as their sister treats. 

Do me a favor and please enjoy them for yourself.

Blackberry, Lemon And Thyme Muffins

adapted from Bon Appetit

Crumble
1 cup cake flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk


Muffins
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed, drained) blackberries (about 6 ounces), halved lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
special equipment:
Eight 4-ounce paper muffin molds, or 12-16 standard muffin liners


Crumble Directions
Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add butter. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until pea-size lumps form. Add egg yolk; stir to evenly distribute and form moist clumps. (Crumble should resemble a mixture of pebbles and sand.) Chill for at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.


Muffins
Preheat oven to 325°. If making standard-size muffins, line 12-16 1/3-cup molds with paper liners. 


Whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated, 2–3 minutes longer. Whisk eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend; gradually beat into butter mixture. Continue beating until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Combine buttermilk and lemon zest in a small bowl; gradually beat into butter mixture. Add dry ingredients; beat just to blend (do not overmix).


Toss blackberries and thyme with 2 Tbsp. flour in another small bowl; fold into batter, gently crushing berries slightly to release some juices. 


Spoon about 2/3 cup batter into large paper muffin molds, or divide between prepared muffin pans. Top each large muffin with 2 Tbsp. crumble or each small muffin with 1 rounded Tbsp. crumble. Sprinkle tops with extra chopped thyme.


Bake until tops are golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, about 20-30 minutes for standard-size muffins. Let cool in pan at least 20 minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store cooled muffins airtight at room temperature

Jelly Filled Donut Muffins

It's a muffin that tastes like a jelly filled donut. Need I say more? 

Just follow this recipe and add your favorite jam or jelly in the middle of the muffin batter and roll in sifted powder sugar instead of cinnamon sugar. The butter coating is optional.

Enjoy!

Everything is Better when the Butter is Brown: Brown Butter Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ever since learning to brown butter during my short experience as a stage in San Francisco, I have been pretty much obsessed with the warm nutty flavor it adds to desserts and baked goods. It really isn't too hard to brown butter. Basically you are just cooking the butter until the milk solids toast and turn brown. However, it isn't too hard to burn butter either. So as long as you can recognize the point at which the butter has reached a definitive brown before it turns into a definitive black, you are golden... literally. Heres a picture of the color you want your butter to look like...

And here is a picture of the color you don't want your brown butter to look like...

Using a pan that's not coated with a dark lining will really help if you are new at the technique. That way you can really see what's going on in the pan. Also, using your sense of smell will help as the butter will give a slight nutty smell when it begins to brown. But trust me, its not as hard as it may sound, you can do it! And besides if you want to make these delicious Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins, you are going to have to do it!

Brown Butter Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
*adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients

• 7 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 C whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 C fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and spray or butter a 12 cup muffin pan, including the top of the pan.

2. Brown the butter in small to medium pan, moving the butter around frequently by moving the handle back and forth to prevent it from burning. (See the intro to this post for more hints on browning butter) Pour the browned butter into a small heatproof mixing bowl.

3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a med mixing bowl.

4. Whisk the milk, egg, yolk and vanilla into the brown butter. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir till combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

5. Fill the cups to the brim and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and enjoy! And trust me, you will enjoy!

Bluffin' with Bran Muffins

That is what Lady Gaga is really talking about right? She really likes bran muffins but she doesn't want to seem like an old lady so she pretends that she doesn't like them? Well if she had tried the bran muffins I made last week she wouldn't be so embarrassed. They transcend all stereotypes commonly associated with bran muffins: including age, bowl function efficiency and crazy levels. Which is exactly why Lady Gaga and I are crazy about these muffins! 


They are super moist, have great flavor and the jumbo raisins' texture adds exciting little pockets (that's an ironic statement) of juicy goodness. Plus they are topped with a delicious almond crumble topping and we all know that crumble topping makes every muffin that much more delicious. They are great fresh and you can even freeze them and save the leftovers for future breakfast or for times when your need for regularity becomes urgent. So take it from the Gaga and your grandma and try out these bran muffins for yourself. They are fantastic! And I'm saying that without a poker face.