Blueberry Muffins with Crumbs

mamma Birgitta's blueberry muffins

Every summer in Sweden my mom makes these super tasty blueberry muffins with crumbs. We eat them together with our mandatory afternoon coffee in the garden (overlooking the green woods around our house). They have a strong blueberry flavor and a taste of Swedish summer.

They make you think about the true treasures of our woods in the north. Living abroad, especially in the Middle East where there are no woods and no water, makes you think about the things we take for granted back home. Like milk and freshly picked blueberries straight from the woods for breakfast – every day all through July and August.

(And all Israeli friends, 20 trees is not a forest.)

Blueberry muffins

Crumbs

12 tsp of butter, divided in to pieces

2 cups of flour

1 cup granulated suger

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixer until crumbs starts to form. 

Muffins (makes approx. 24)

1 cup of corn oil

5 1/2 cup of flour

1 1/2 cup of sugar

3 + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 big eggs

2 1/2 cup of milk

3 cups blueberries 

1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set a side. 

2. In another bowl mix egg, milk and oil. Add the dry ingredients and mix until completely combined. 

3. Add the blueberries, gently add them by folding them in with a spatula or a spoon. We don't want them to break!

4. Fill the muffin cups with 2/3 of the batter (it's recomended to use a cupcake baking tin to hold the muffin cups in). On top add the crumbs. 

5. Bake in the oven on 175C degrees for approx. 20-25 minutes. 

Don't forget the coffee!

This is where it all happens!

Shushas Cupcakes

Picture by: Oren Cohen

Picture by: Oren Cohen

"Cupcakes are adorable and fancy. They make me happy and also more importantly the reciver happy. They are fun to bake because they are full of color and you can make them different every time. Cupcakes always give a little something back to the eye. They are also perfect for almost any occation. Who don't love a mini-cake?"

By: Shusha Biton

Cupcakes  

Ingredients (12 pieces)

125 grams of self-rising flour

125 grams of butter, softened

125 grams of casted sugar

2 eggs

2-3 tbs milk
      

Cupcake butter cream  

1 kilo of powdered sugar 

400 grams of soft butter

1 tbs milk

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Optional: You can add any flavor or color to the butter cream, choice of your own. It's also good without any extra flavor.

1. Heat the oven to 180C degrees.

2. Mix flour and butter with a mixer until you get crumbs. Add the sugar and beat in the eggs. Finally add the milk and mix until the batter is combined and creamy. 

3. Take out a cupcake tin and add the paper muffin cups. With a spoon put in the batter, approx. 3/4 in every tin. 

4. Bake for about 15 minutes until they turn golden brown. Let cool on a cooling grid. 

5. Start preparing the butter cream. Put half of the sugar in a mixer and add the soft butter, the milk and the vanilla. Beat until combined and add the rest of the sugar. Mix until fluffy. If you want to add color and flavor, do it in this fase. 

6. Put the butter cream in to a pastry bag with a nozzle of your choice. Depending on how you want your batter to look on the cupcake. Press out the butter cream on the cupcakes in a nice pattern. Decorate with something cute and eatable if you want, or serve them just like that.

Enjoy! (YUMMY)

Tip: 

•  The butter cream can keep in the fridge for three days if stored proper. Just make sure to mix it again before you use it to make it fluffy and easier to work with. 

•  If you want to find cool muffin cups or other cool baking stuff you can't find in a normal super market, check out the store Motek - Sugar Boutique on Sderot Yehudit 15 in Tel Aviv. If you are lucky you might meet Shusha, because she works there part-time.  

© 2012 Jill Schweber and Channa Waje, all rights reserved