Beryl Berry Breakfast Wonders

Never one to take what the quintessential food pyramid decrees lightly, you hoard up on the marble-sized beryl wonders in the summer to work their Vitamin C, antioxidants and fiber into your family’s breakfasts all year long. Cereal bowls in your household are nothing short of an omnibus of color, even in the thick of ghastly winters. Pancakes on a forlorn February morning jiggle and jive on the griddle with happy purplish splotches. Even the beginnings of other meals, like standard salads, get a new lease of life with these puckery-sweet pearls of blue. And last but not the least, warm fruitcake slabs that get slapped on with scoops of icecream after supper are shot in with bursts of the blue balls, all cozy and cushy in the coating of cakey batter. Whether you’ve handpicked and popped a few in your mouth as an August sun warmed your shoulders out at a farm, or bagged a few well-misted boxes of Driscoll’s in the comfortably airconditioned confines of your local Costco or Whole Foods Market, you’re a smart and savvy kitchen mistress. Because you know that blueberries are not only easy to use and freeze, they truly are a treasure trove of flavor and nutrition. And since all things dandy are even better when candied, let’s slice up those muffins that materialize on your tabletop now and again..perfect for eat-in or on-the-go breakfasts, short, stout and stuffed with blueberries..that have bled their way through the insides like streamers come undone..and call for a party, now and here!

Blueberry Muffins
(Makes 12) 

• 2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
• 3/4 Cup sugar (white or light brown) plus a little more for sprinkling on top
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 Cup skim milk
• 1/2 Cup low-fat yoghurt
• 2 Large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried with a kitchen towel. (If using frozen, don’t thaw).
• A handful of oats or chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the milk, yoghurt, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla with the oil. Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into the well, then stir with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over-mix the batter as that will make the muffins dense. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar, oats or bits of walnuts for extra crunch. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and allow to cool completely before freezing.

Our Beryl Berry Breakfast Wonders are going places –

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