With fresh local blueberries in abundance now, I’m afraid I got rather carried away at the market last weekend. With two big cartons in the refrigerator, even having a big heap of them on my cereal every morning wasn’t making enough of a dent in the supply. By mid-week I knew I needed to find more ways to tackle my over-zealous blueberry purchase!

Given that I’ve been in the mood for baking lately, and on a lemon kick, I thought I’d try muffins featuring these two flavours. And what a match blueberry and lemon turned out to be! In addition to being super tasty, these muffins are light, moist and healthy to boot. Not that you necessarily think about that while you’re eating them. All you’re really thinking about is whether anyone would notice if you take another one (or two).

Go for it — they’re good for you! And besides, I have enough blueberries left to whip up another batch!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Slightly adapted from Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted Everyday Cooking, sponsored by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Pre-heat the oven to 375º. Makes 12 muffins.

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup milk (I used 0% fat milk)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup molasses (I ran out of molasses, so used half honey)
• 1 cup natural bran
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (I didn’t measure; I just zested about half a lemon until it looked like there was enough to my taste)
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

In a bowl or large measuring up, stir lemon juice into the milk and let stand for at least a minute to sour. Stir in the egg, oil and molasses. (Here’s a tip to make pouring molasses easy:  use the same measuring cup that you already used for the oil. The molasses will flow out without coaxing!)

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the lemon zest. Add the milk mixture and mix  until just combined. (It doesn’t have to be completely lump-free.) Gently stir in the blueberries.

Spoon into muffin tins lined with paper muffin cups. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

Cool for a few minutes in the tin, then put the muffins on a wire rack to finish cooling (if they last that long; they’re great warm!)

Muffins like this are very versatile. We ate them for breakfast and I took some to work for a mid-morning snack. The Culinary Enthusiast also took a supply to work, and reported that they were joyously received. How’s that for positive reinforcement!