Blueberry-Almond Muffins

Blueberries are at full steam ahead here right now, so it's time to take advantage.  I suppose if you really want to fully appreciate a blueberry in all its natural splendor, you should eat it raw.  But when I have blueberries I can't help but want to bake.  Today I decided to try this delicious muffin recipe, incorporating both almond and blueberry flavors in one portable little package.  Yum!

I am a fan of just about anything almond-flavored, and this muffin did not disappoint.  The sweet-tart juice of the blueberries combines beautifully with the luxurious almond extract, punctuated with the occasional crunch of a slivered almond in the mix.  It's so delicious!  And it's low in fat and sugar, too, and packed with whole grains.  I definitely won't feel guilty eating this for breakfast tomorrow!

Blueberry-Almond Muffins

adapted from Eating Well in Season

makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup nonfat buttermilk

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups fresh blueberries (other berries would work too)

1/2 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or use silicon or paper liners.

2.  Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl

3.  Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until well combined.

4.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Add berries and almonds.  Stir just to combine; do not overmix.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups (an ice cream scoop works well).  

5.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!