Blueberry Muffins a la Martha

The other night, I made a veggie quiche for dinner, and decided that blueberry muffins would be the perfect side. I don't have a "go-to" recipe for blueberry muffins, so I paid a visit to my good friend The Internet for some inspiration. I didn't have to go any further than MarthaStewart.com to find just what I was looking for (no surprise there). This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.

Makes 1 dozen

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (I used canned blueberries - just drained them well, then sprinkled with 1-2 teaspoons of flour and tossed to coat)
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Working over the bowl, toss blueberries in a fine sieve with about 1 1/2 teaspoons flour mixture to lightly coat; set aside the flour mixture and the blueberries.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Mix in vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add reserved flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk, beating until just combined. Do not over mix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. If desired, in a small bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle sugar mixture on top of muffin batter.
Bake, rotating pan halfway though, until muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn muffins on their sides in their cups, and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe produces a really delicious blueberry muffin. Light and fluffy, with a lovely vanilla flavor. I especially love the sugar/nutmeg sprinkled on top. These muffins did not last long in my house.