Blueberry Ginger Muffins

How to prepare

Difficulty Level:        

Yield: 12 Each

Ingredients:
2 cups Blueberries, fresh 1-1/8 cups + 1 tsp. Sugar 1 tsp Lemon Juice 2 oz. Ginger Root, peeled, sliced across 1/8” thick 2 Tbs. Lemon Zest only with micro planer (3 small) 2-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour 2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder Pinch Salt	1 tsp. granulated Salt 2 Large Eggs, room temperature 4 Tablespoons Butter, Unsalted, melted but not hot 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil 1 cup Buttermilk 1-½ tsp. Vanilla Extract *As Needed Sugar-in-the-Raw or regular sugar

How to make the Muffins:

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425˚ F (220˚ C) or convection oven to 400˚ F (200˚ C).
2. Spray a 12-cup (2-3/4” diameter) muffin tin with Baker’s Joy or vegetable oil spray.
3. Bring 1 cup Blueberries, 1 tsp. Sugar, Lemon Juice and Pinch Salt to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
4. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6-10 minutes.
5. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.
6. Chop sliced ginger with a sharp knife into 1/8” dice.
7. Combine with ¼ cup sugar in small Teflon pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula, until the liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes.
8. Cool to room temperature.
9. Zest the lemon with a micro-planer and place in a small bowl with 2 Tbs. of sugar and combine gently. Set aside.
10. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk remaining ¾ cup Sugar and Eggs together in separate medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 1 minute.
11. Slowly whisk in the melted Butter and Oil until combined. Whisk in Buttermilk and Vanilla until combined.
12. Whisk in the cooled ginger mix and lemon zest.
13. Using a rubber spatula, fold Egg mixture and remaining blueberries into the flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be lumpy with a few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)
14. Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, place about 1-1/2 oz. of the batter to half-fill prepared muffin cups.
15. Spoon 3/4 tsp of the cooled blueberry mixture into the very center of each muffin cup on top of the batter, without it going to the edge of the cup.
16. Fill the cups to the rims with the remaining batter covering the blueberry mix.
17. Sprinkle sugar-in-raw or sugar over the tops of the muffins.
18. Bake until muffins are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 13-15, rotating muffin tins halfway through baking. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in tins, and than transfer to a rack to cool a minimum of 5 minutes before serving.