Baking Day: Blueberry Lavender Muffins

I have a confession to make: I eat breakfast for dinner all. the. time.  Perhaps as often as once a week.  I love all things breakfast (I'm talking real breakfast here, not a bowl of frosted flakes) and it's just so easy to throw together and tastes so delicious that I find myself cooking Brinner all the time.  This week was no different.  On the menu: blueberry muffins.

I'm warning you in advance: these things are highly addicting.  You won't be able to eat just one.  I've adapted the recipe slightly from one found in Gourmet.

Blueberry Lavender Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 3/4 cup lavender sugar


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 3/4 teaspoon salt


• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  
  


• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk


• 1 egg plus 1 yolk


• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla


• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen


• TOPPING:


• 
  
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
  
  
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  
  
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons lavender sugar
  
  
  
  

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Prepare muffin pans.

Prepare topping:

• Using your finger tips, rub 3 tablespoons diced cold unsalted butter into 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 3 1/2 tablespoons lavender sugar until pea-sized crumbs form.  Set aside.

Prepare muffins:

• Whisk together flour, lavender sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.


• In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, milk, egg, yolk and vanilla.  Pour wet ingredients into reserved dry ingredients and stir just until combined (don't over mix).  


• Fold in blueberries.


• Divide evenly among 10 muffin cups.  Sprinkle with crumb topping.


• Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.


• Cool 15 minutes before removing from pans. 

{images by me}

How to Ship Muffins (or Cupcakes)

Recently, my father-in-law was involved in a boating accident and injured himself enough to land in the hospital for a few days.  Happily, he is home now and starting the long road to recovery.  To help cheer him on his journey my son and I decided to send him a little package full of one of his favorite treats: Banana Crunch Muffins.  (If you've never tried these, please do.  They're so good.)  I wanted to package them in an aesthetically pleasing way that would also help them stay intact during their travels.  My solution: an empty cereal box.

1.  Select an empty cereal box that is the same width as the box you'll be using for shipping.  Mine happened to be Frosted Cheerios.  Using scissors, cut holes just wide enough to securely hold your muffins.

2. Wrap your cereal box in some pretty paper.  I used Kraft, but some patterned wrapping paper might look even better.  Once wrapped, cut holes through the paper, too.  Lay tissue paper inside your shipping box and slide the cereal box in on top.  It should fit snugly and not wiggle.

3.  Nestle frozen, wrapped (plastic secured with a bit of tape or a sticker) muffins into their spaces.  Freezing them before shipment will help keep them fresher for their destination.

 

4.  Fold over the tissue and secure a pretty card on top.  To keep the muffins from sliding out if the box gets turned up side down, pad the remaining space at the top of the box with bubble wrap or bunched plastic grocery bags.  Be sure to fill it up to the top before closing the box and test drive it at home to make sure your muffins are truly secure. 

You could also use this method to ship cupcakes, although I would highly recommend sending them unfrosted.  Put frosting in a separate, small plastic container for the recipient to add on themselves. 

Have you ever shipped baked goods before?  What are your favorite methods?

{images by me}