BLUEBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS

I feel the need to explain something today. The difference between a muffin and a cupcake. Yes, they are two different things,if you didn't know that already. A muffin is a quick bread which uses the leavening agents like baking powder and/or baking soda for it's rise.The batter for a muffin should be handled very delicately or else you will have a tough end product instead of a moist,tender muffin.Whereas a cupcake,as the name suggests is a cake in a cup.The cupcake batter is made the same way as a cake batter is made. Instead of baking them into one large cake,they are divided and made into little ones in the shape of a cup.
Now that the weight is off of my chest, I can start talking about the muffins I baked a few days ago.

The box of blueberries we bought the other day was very tart. Eating them as is was out of the question. So I checked my current favourite place for recipes-Pinterest. There were plenty of recipes to choose from but most of them called for something I didn't have at that moment. Then I saw a recipe from Ree Drummond's site which called for ingredients that I had on hand. Flour,sugar,yogurt,eggs,oil,leavening agents and nutmeg. It was a quick and simple muffin recipe,like most other muffin recipes. By now, you all must have noticed that I use quite a bit of yogurt in my baked goods.Cardamom Yogurt Cake, 100% Wholewheat Yogurt Bread,Lemon Yogurt Cake ,Two ingredient 5 Minute Pizza are some of the recipes I've baked with yogurt in the past. All of them are super good!

I am sure that you can substitute blueberries for other berries in this recipe. The addition of yogurt makes the muffins tender and extra moist.Like every other muffin or quick bread recipes, do not beat the batter. Just stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the last speck of flour vanishes.That's it. If there are any lumps remaining in the batter,it is okay. So here' the recipe!

BLUEBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS
Makes 15

Ingredients:
3 cups minus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries
Some brown sugar (optional)

Method:Preheat the oven to 380F.Line a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a bowl,whisk together flour,baking soda,baking powder,salt & nutmeg. In another bowl,whisk together sugar,oil,egg and yogurt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until the last speck of flour vanishes. Fold in the blueberries and divide the batter into the tin.Sprinkle some brown sugar over the tops and bake for  20-25 minutes or until the muffin is completely baked.

These muffins were perfectly sweet that you won't think twice about grabbing another one. They make a great snack as well. Just know that it doesn't have a long shelf life,so use it within 2-3 days of baking it.
 

WHITE HOUSE HONEY & OATMEAL MUFFINS

Did that title scream healthy to you? It did,for me.This recipe came into my mailbox a few days ago and it was called my name. The more I thought about the ingredients, the more I felt like baking it,which I did in a few hours time. Ian adores cakes,cupcakes & muffins. Cookies, not so much.He wakes up these days,not calling out for his 'Amma', but, by chanting the words Oats,Cake & Cheese. It was Buvva (Bun) & Yeye (Milk) today.

As I set out to make these,Ian came running into the kitchen screaming,Cake! He says that word very,very clearly.When he saw me bring my flour containers from our pantry,he really thought I was going to make a cake.I told him that Amma is not going to bake a cake,instead, a muffin and later realised that it's like talking to a wall because he is just too small to understand my gyan.So I told him to wait patiently till the oven timer rings.He knows that very well because every time the oven timer goes off, he comes and tells me there's something going on in the kitchen.

I left the oven light on, just so that he could come and take a look to see what's happening inside. Luckily, our oven door doesn't heat up when it is on.The house did like a bakery while these muffins were baking.
These muffins were first made by the Spike Mendelsohn,after being inspired by the new beehive at the White House garden.When I first read the name, it reminded me of my BANANA -BUTTERMILK OAT MUFFINS that I made when we went for our Babymoon to Las Vegas back in 2012.

It's clearly mentioned in the original recipe that these do not make the usual sweet muffins. These are very mildly sweet. So, when you take the first bite, you will feel that it's not sweet at all.But, once you eat a bit more of it, you will start enjoying the mildly sweet,slightly salty,spiced muffins.Here's the simple recipe for it.

WHITE HOUSE HONEY & OATMEAL MUFFINS
Makes 12

Ingredients:
3/4 cups wholewheat flour
3/4 cups oatmeal
3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs

Method: Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl,whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold in gently,until just incorporated.DO NOT over mix. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the muffin cups and bake for 18 minutes or until done. Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.Serve warm or at room temperature.

Like I mentioned before, when I took the first bite, I did feel that they lacked some sweetness. But as I went ahead with it, I enjoyed them being less sweet.So did Jobin. I have a very sweet tooth, but sometimes,I prefer eating things which are healthier even if it lacked some sweeteness.These muffins are actually good for you. They use a lot of good ingredients ,therefore, you can munch on them guilt-free.

Jobin is away for 2 days,so when he left, I packed some of these muffins for him to take along. I really enjoy packing some homemade snack whenever we travel, because, you never know when you are going to feel sick eating outside all the time!