Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

Woah.  So, admittedly the last post was a little bit of a...downer.  Sorry about that.  There's nothing like unresolved health issues to put me in a class-A funk.

But today I have a new outlook.  I'm going to demand action where doctors are concerned, my mom is here, I went for a 3 hour walk yesterday and explored a new part of the city, and I'm on vacation the rest of the week.  As far as lives go, this one's pretty good.

Speaking of mood-flippers, I think blueberry muffins are right up there with warm weather, long walks, mom visits, and vacation days.  There's something so hopeful about a homemade blueberry muffin.  I think it has to do with the fact that it's a perfectly acceptable way to eat cake for breakfast, and these muffins in particular are especially cake-y.  Cake for breakfast, for everybody!

This is the second recipe I've made from the Joy the Baker Cookbook and I'm completely sold.  That woman knows how to bake, and offers great tips and tricks for those of us who are baking-challenged.  Every single recipe looks amazing, and I can't wait to cook my way through it.

Let's make muffins!

These brown butter blueberry muffins start with, you guessed it, browned butter!  Butter is melted in a pan until just past the point of foaming.  It will then start to brown, at which point you should remove it from the heat so it doesn't burn.  Browned butter is a gift from above, burned butter is a bitter mess.

While the butter is cooling, add milk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk to combine.

Add cooled butter slowly, whisking to combine.

Next, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until just incorporated.  Fold in blueberries and scoop into muffin tins that are either lined with paper, or, if you're like me and didn't have the foresight to buy muffin liners, sprayed with cooking spray.

You're not done yet, though!  Oh no.  These muffins clearly need more butter.  Combine flour, sugar, and cold butter in a bowl and cut together with two knifes until it looks like small pebbles.  This is the topping, and it is good.  Top all muffins with the topping and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Homemade blueberry muffins--they're such a treat!  These were more dense, like cake, than other muffins I've tried, which might be exactly how they're supposed to be.  However, even though I followed the recipe exactly, that doesn't rule out the fact that I could have messed something up (baking, and what not).  I will say though, that the dense texture was a decadent, rich surprise and I loved it.

I ate one immediately, one for breakfast the next day, then took them to work so that I could share the goodness, not to mention get them out of my house.  Healthy, fiber filled, power breakfast these are not.  But you deserve a splurge every once in a while, and these should be it.

Turn your mood around.  Eat cake for breakfast.  Make blueberry muffins!

Here's the recipe:

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins (Another recipe from the Joy the Baker Cookbook)


Ingredients


For the Muffins

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Topping

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with liners, or spray with cooking spray.  Set aside
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Keep an eye on the butter--it will melt, foam, and crackle and then it will start to brown fairly quickly.  Remove from heat when the butter becomes a medium brown color and transfer to another bowl to ensure the butter will stop cooking.  Let cool.  
3. Whisk milk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla together in a medium bowl.  Slowly add butter, whisking as you do.  
4. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and add to wet ingredients all at once.  Stir just to combine, then carefully fold in blueberries.  Divide batter among 12 muffin cups.
5. To make topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and, either using your fingers or two knives, cut the butter into the flour and sugar.  Sprinkle topping over muffins.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and crisp on top, and a skewer comes out clean from the center of the muffins.  Cool muffins in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.

Enjoy!