My friend Connie is generous, kind, and loyal. And it’s her birthday today. Because of COVID19, we can’t celebrate like we used to, and I can’t shop for a birthday give like before. I know she loves blueberry muffins, so I made these for her.

The basic muffin recipe calls for butter, all-purpose flour, milk, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and the best vanilla extract you can find. The variation, here, is adding blueberries, orange extract, and orange peel!

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 cube) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange extract

2 teaspoons orange peel, finely minced

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2 eggs

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2 cups All-Purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

2 cups blueberries, washed, drained, and picked over

Preheat oven (convection) to bake at 375°

Cream butter and sugar until light.

Add eggs, one at a time, incorporate fully, and add vanilla extract.

Mix well and add orange extract and orange peel.

Sift dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) and slowly combine, alternating with milk.

Fold in drained blueberries. Do not over mix.

Spoon into cupcake liners, about 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Sprinkle tops with sugar sprinkles before placing in oven.

Bake at 375° preheated convection oven for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean (light golden brown).

Remove and cool over a wire rack.

Lessons from my Mother:

• Vanilla extract is your secret weapon for any sweet dessert.

• I used organic butter and sugar, just because.

• When measuring dry goods, such as sugar and flour, never pack your measuring cup unless the instructions tell you to. Lightly spoon your ingredients into the correct measuring cup, and level with the back of a knife. This will ensure consistent and accurate measurements every time.

• Creaming and sifting are important because they ensure all your ingredients are fully incorporated, preventing surprise flavors from showing up when eating, and they ensure even cooking. For example, you don’t want to bite into a tiny flour pocket in your muffin.

• I like to use extra large eggs in all my recipes because they give added richness.

• Always cool your muffins after removing from the oven on a wire rack. The wire rack allows air to circulate around your muffin, allowing it to develop fully. By not using a wire rack, or allowing air to circulate above and below your cookie, you will have a cookie with a mushy center or it will be hard.

The products I used in this recipe are:

• Straus Family Creamery Organic Unsalted butter

• 365 Everyday Value Organic Cane Sugar

• King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

• Frontier Co-op Organic Vanilla Extract

• Hain Pure Foods Iodized Sea Salt

• Williams Sonona Orange Peel

• McCormick Pure Orange Extract

• Driscoll’s Organic Blueberries