Molasses Blueberry Muffins...With 10 variations

Molasses Blueberry Muffins: The only blueberry muffin recipe you will ever need with ten variations to step it up.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour, spooned in
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
• ¼ cup canola or grape seed oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and line muffin tins with papers.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together liquid ingredients.
3. In a large bowl whisk dry ingredients.
4. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir gently 2-3 times. Add the berries and mix just until the flour is moistened. (Mixing should be held to a minimum – a light stirring for 10 to 20 seconds. Batter will be lumpy and will break into course globs.
5. Pour into muffin cups and fill to the top.
6. Bake at once until golden brown, about 20 minutes. (If muffins remain in the tins a few moments after leaving the oven, they will be easier to remove.)

10 Tasty Blueberry Muffin Recipe Variations:

1. Add the zest of half a lemon and a pinch of ginger to the dry ingredients before mixing.
2. Swap out half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or spelt flour.
3. Reduce the sugar to 2/3 cup if you prefer your muffins less sweet.
4. Sprinkle coarse sugar overtop before baking to give them a pretty sparkle
5. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped crystalized ginger to the batter.
6. Swap melted butter for 2 Tbsp. of the oil to add a little richness to the taste.
7. Add 1/4 cup poppy seeds or 1/2 cup chocolate chips and the zest of an orange.
8. Add half raspberries and half blueberries for berry blast muffins.
9. Substitute 1/4 ground flax seed, oat bran or wheat germ for 1/4 cup of the flour.
10. Dress them up with a lemon glaze (1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 Tbsp. milk or cream and a few drops of lemon juice)

Go ahead, experiment. They’re delicious when made just as the recipe is written but if you like to make blueberry muffins often it’s great to have options to shake it up a bit.