Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins

Moist, light, fluffy and loaded with blueberries... just what you crave for breakfast or a deserved treat! Not much sugar or fat added to this recipe either, making these incredible muffins a nutritious choice. Easy to make too!

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup almond or low-fat milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
1 tablespoon flour
Granulated sugar for topping

Equipment needed:

Liquid measuring cup, 2 cups (or small bowl) Dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Medium mixing bowl
Wire whisk or fork
Rubber spatula
Small mixing bowl
Muffin pan
Cupcake liners, if desired Small ice cream scoop/ dipper
Wire cooling rack

Nothing like warm, fresh muffins in the morning to start your day! One morning while visiting my daughter, I noticed she had a large container of blueberries in the refrigerator and immediately thought... MUFFINS! I had always heard of recipes using yogurt to make a rich, yet light muffin so I went to my old foods recipes and found one to adjust. The old recipe was good, yet produced a somewhat compact, dense product. I substituted Greek yogurt and adjusted a couple ingredients... this recipe was born almost by accident! Grab your berries and let’s make muffins!

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Making muffins is like most quick breads, where the dry ingredients and liquids are mixed separately and then combined together. Number one rule when making muffins or any quick bread ... Don’t over mix your muffins!! To create a light and fluffy muffin, it is important not to over activate the gluten proteins in the flour. Over mixing results in a tough muffin, full of tunnels. First step in making the batter is to add the flour, leavening agents and salt into a medium mixing bowl and stir well using a wire whisk or fork. Next step is the liquids! In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, or small bowl, combine egg, sugar, Greek yogurt, vanilla, oil and milk. Stir well using a whisk or fork until smooth. Last step is to make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquids in the center. Using a rubber spatula, stir about 10 – 12 times scrapping the sides as you mix. The batter will be quite lumpy, but that’s fine!

Now for the berries! In a small bowl measure out 3⁄4 cup of the blueberries and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Fluff together to lightly dust the berries with flour. This dusting will help hold the blueberries in the batter and prevent them from all falling to the bottom of the muffin. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter until all berries are combined, stirring only about 5 more times. Don’t mix too vigorously or the batter will become blue and tough! The reserve the remaining 1/4 cup of berries for garnishing on top... adding meal appeal and color!

Last step... panning and baking the muffins! Grab your 12-well muffin pan and line with cupcake liners or liberally grease each well. Using a small ice cream scoop/ dipper, fill each well ~ 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter. Try to evenly distribute berries as you scoop too. Add about 2 – 3 of the reserved blueberries on top of each muffin and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar. Place in a preheated 400 F oven and bake for ~15 minutes or lightly golden brown on top. Muffins will continue to bake in the hot pan when removed from the oven... so don’t be tempted to over bake them. Allow muffins to cool for only a few minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack or dish cloth covered counter.

Don’t they look yummy and loaded with berries? These muffins can be served warm or stored for later. I often freeze them or place them in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a week of muffins for breakfast or a quick snack... Enjoy!!