dear fellow crumbsnatchers,
i spent six summers working at camp oneka for girls in the pocono mountains of northeastern pennsylvania. before my counselor-in-training "nekette" year, my first two summers were working in the camp kitchen - three meals a day, six days a week and a lot of hard work. on my "off" days, i'd sail with grandma gail in the weekly lake race or practice my throws (shot put, discus and javelin) with pop-pop at a nearby park. sometimes we would walk to the paupack blueberry farm to pick fresh blueberries and treat ourselves to a generous scoop of blueberry ice cream. yum!
campers and staff also walked to the farm to pick fresh blueberries and brought bucketfuls back to camp. that's when chefmeister nancy would transform those sweet berries into one of my favorite breakfast treats - blueberry muffins. one of my fondest memories in the kitchen was sitting at the back table with my favorite scottish co-worker eating a meal together. and on blueberry muffin days, i especially enjoyed these morsels with a proper cup of tea.
i've tried different recipes with sour cream, sugar substitutes and even crumb toppings. but my all-time favorite recipe is the famous jordan marsh blueberry muffin recipe. jordan's, an iconic department store in boston, served these muffins in their dining room. after macy's acquired the store in the 90s, these blueberry muffins crumbled into nothing but a legend. i don't remember my yia-yia making these specific blueberry muffins, but she kept a copy of this recipe in a collection of newspaper clippings. every time i'm in the kitchen, i think of her. she is the reason why i love cooking and baking. and what's better way to celebrate national blueberry muffin day than to bake a batch of my favorite blueberry muffins?!
blueberry muffin recipe
crumb confession: turbinado sugar makes a better topping than granulated sugar. also known as raw sugar, i bought turbinado sugar to make mint simple syrup since we have an abundance of mint in our herb garden and a thirst for large glasses of iced tea during the summer months. the original recipe instructs the baker to sprinkle granulated sugar on top of each muffin before baking in the oven for their signature sugar crown. and now with turbinado sugar in my pantry, i decided to try it as the sugar topping instead. i love that this sugar topping gives a nice crunch to the soft, pillowy interior of a warm blueberry muffin. you can use granulated sugar like the original recipe, but i love the texture of turbinado sugar against my teeth. i also think it keeps the crunch longer, even when the muffins are refrigerated.
cuisine: american
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 25-30 minutes
serves: 12 muffins
ingredients
8 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 pint fresh blueberries
2 tbs all-purpose flour
12 tsp turbinado sugar or granulated sugar
directions
preheat oven to 375F. line 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups.
in a small bowl, mix blueberries and 2 tbs of flour until coated. set aside.
in a medium bowl, cream butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar with handheld mixer. add eggs, baking powder, salt and vanilla and combine.
add flour and mix with rubber spatula. incorporate milk until batter is formed.
gently fold in floured blueberries.
divide batter into 12 baking cups. i like to use a medium cookie scoop.
sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar on each muffin.
bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan.
serve with a proper cup of earl grey tea.
i long for those summers spent on fairview lake. sometimes i wish i had the opportunity to experience oneka as a camper, to cheer with the red team or white team, creating memories and friendships that last a lifetime. the turtle's trail foundation provides full or partial camp scholarships for girls ages 7-16 who may not have the financial means to experience a traditional overnight camp. i support camp oneka's commitment to safety and the hard decision to remain closed for summer 2020 due to covid-19. if you know a girl who could benefit from 2, 3.5 or 7 weeks of overnight camp, i encourage you to send them to camp oneka in summer 2021. for the turtles trail winds on through life... happy national blueberry muffin day!
love and crumbs,
christina & gypsie
p.s. did you make this recipe? be sure to drop us a crumb on instagram at @crumbsforgypsie and hashtag it #crumbsforgypsie.
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