blueberry muffins {aka polka dot muffins}

 My dear friend growing up, Emily, gave this recipe to me at a recipe shower a few of the ladies threw for me when I got married. I have been making them ever since, but hadn't pulled out the recipe in quite sometime. It is a delicious one - sweet, soft batter that turns into a very tasty muffin. My favorite is the sprinkling of sugar on top of the batter just before it goes in the oven - giving a bit of a sweet crunch on top when finished.

 I did take a que from my favorite cook, Ina Gartin, and having some oranges on hand added the zest of one orange to the batter. I am calling it my "secret ingredient." There is a reason why Ina Gartin is the famous Barefoot Contessa, has a Food Network show, and makes lots of money selling her cookbooks. She knows what she is talking about and that orange zest, well, it just added a delicious element to an already wonderful recipe. Delish!

So, I will banter on no more... Here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

Blueberry Muffins
2 1/2 cups flour + extra
1 cup sugar + extra
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cups (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 - 2 1/2 cups of blueberries
(I have used frozen, but fresh is best)
secret ingredient: zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour tins. Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter, add egss and beat. Add other moise ingredients. Stir until moistened. Roll blueberries in flour (I rarely do this, but they do ten to fall to the bottom if you don't). Fold in blueberries. Put in muffin tins and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Bon Apetite!