Blueberry and Maple Corn Muffins

Wednesday 4 June 2014

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I have never made any secret of my love affair with blueberries.   If you have been reading my blog for any length of time at all, it should be really obvious to you that I adore them.

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It's kind of odd really . . . because when I was a child I wasn't overly fond of them.  Or maybe it was the picking of them that I wasn't fond of.   Every summer we would be taken out into the bush and forced to pick gallon sized ice cream buckets of the berries.  As wild blueberries grow close to the ground, that was really hard work, to say the least.

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And . . . it was always really, really hot . . . the black flies and mosquitoes would be pestering us to no end . . . and I was terrified of bears, because . . . truth be told.  They probably love blueberries even more than humans do and in August, at the end of the summer, when the blueberries are ready to be picked, they are storing up their fat for winter.

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So really I guess . . . it was the picking I deplored, not the berries, coz I certainly do love them now, and I don't have to fight mosquitoes, or blackflies or bears to enjoy them . . .  nor do I have to crouch down for hours on end to pick them.  We have our very own high bush cultivated berries right here in our back garden!

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They do lack the intense flavours of the wild ones from back home, but . . . beggars can't be choosers and so we enjoy them regardless of their size.  They really shine in muffins, like these  Blueberry, Maple and Corn Muffins  that I am showing you today.

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These are pretty darned good muffins if I don't say so myself.  (And I know I just did.)  With a great cornbread flavour, lightly sweetened with maple syrup and then stogged full of lovely blueberries, they are real family pleasers.  A bit more rustic than most muffins and hearty with crisp cornmeal edges.   They are a real favourite around here.  Because of the fresh berries, they do need to be eaten on the day.  I have never frozen them so I don't know if they will freeze well or not.


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*Blueberry & Maple Corn Muffins*
Makes 12

Lovely muffins with a moist crumbly texture.   Lots of blueberries help to keep them moist, but the polenta/cornmeal gives them a bit of a crunch!  Delicious!

255g of cornmeal or coarse polenta (1 1/2 cups)
70g of plain flour (1/2 cup)
1 TBS baking powder
100g of granulated sugar (1/2 cip)
1/2 tsp salt
225ml of buttermilk (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs
4 TBS butter, melted
78ml of pure Maple Syrup (1/3 cup)
100g of fresh blueberries (1 cup)  

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Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter a 12 cup muffin tin really really well or line with paper liners.  Spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray.   Set aside.

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre.   Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, butter and maple syrup.  Add all at once to 
the dry ingredients and mix just to combine.  Fold in the berries.   Divide the mixture equally amongst the muffin cups.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and golden.   Serve warm.

7 comments

  1. Love these muffins Marie look amazing.
    I think blueberry muffins are my favorites:)
    xo

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  2. Thanks Gloria! You and I and Blueberries, we love them yes!!

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  3. Never tried with cornmeal..how different! Thanks Marie!

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  4. You're welcome Monique! These are lovely muffins with a bit of texture. We like them at any rate!

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  5. These are very similar to ones that I make, my recipe has lemon rind in the recipe. I only use a smidgen of that since it goes a long way...and you are right, they are really good!
    (I found the recipe on the back of the PUBLIX cornmeal bag, PUBLIX cornmeal is supposed to be gluten free!)

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  6. They don't have cornmeal over here Pam. You have to use polenta, which works much the same. I get my cornmeal from a supplier who sells North American products. It's Quaker and comes in the round tub. I have never heard of Publix. The addition of lemon sounds fab, except I am not sure how well it would go with the Maple.

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  7. Love the look and sound of these! I've never really had corn-y things except cornbread. Never tried it mixed with anything else, but with blueberries? Sounds delicious! Pinning to try soon!

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