Blueberry Iced Green Tea

Here it is, yet another blueberry recipe.  I have made pies, scones, muffins, and just about every other type of blueberry pastry, it seems, this summer.  I guess that's what happens when you buy bulk blueberries from Costco.  Well regardless, blueberries are one of those staple summer foods, and since it's nearing the end of summer I might as well squeeze in a few more blueberry recipes.

So I decided to try out this recipe from Closet Cooking.  My mom suggested that I make iced tea today, so this just seemed like the perfect option.  It is quite delicious, and I have some leftover blueberry simple syrup which will be wonderful in mocktails!

Enjoy!

Margaret

Blue Velvet

I have not made cupcakes in ages.  (Well perhaps a few weeks- but that seems like ages for me.)  It rained this afternoon and finally cooled down below the 100 degree weather we have been having all weekend, so I jumped on this opportunity to light the oven and do a bit of baking. 

It seems that blueberries are my most baked-with fruit- and for good reason.  Blueberries, in my opinion, taste much more exciting and flavorful when cooked as opposed to fruit like strawberries, which looses it's flavor and texture.  I was going to make blueberry muffins, but since we have not had cupcakes in the house for a bit I settled on Blue Velvet Cupcakes from Chocolate Covered Katie.

I followed her recipe for the cupcakes exactly, although I mashed my blueberries rather than pureeing them (which I think would've been the better option).  For the frosting I used my basic cream cheese frosting recipe.

Enjoy!

Margaret

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 tablespoons butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter for 2-3 minutes on high in electric mixer.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well in between each addition.  Add salt and vanilla and beat well.  Refrigerate before using.

Marvelous Muffins

Baking for breakfast is my absolute favorite.  It always makes for a happier day when you can start out at breakfast with a delicious home-baked pastry.  I have already gone through blueberry scones and blueberry pancakes, so the next move had to be blueberry muffins!

I have made blueberry muffins numerous times, but often they end up more like a cupcake with no frosting.  (Think butter, sugar, eggs, flour, milk.... basically exactly the same as a cupcake recipe.)  So this time I was looking for a recipe that would give me that cherished rustic muffin top.  This recipe did just the trick.  I found one from Canadian Living that used yogurt and had an option for whole wheat flour.

These muffins made a delicious AND healthy breakfast!  I would love to try these again with white flour and lemon (instead of the orange used in the recipe), and I think this recipe would also make delicious chocolate chip muffins (I might add a bit of extra oil in this case since you wouldn't have the juice from the berries).

Enjoy!
Margaret

Another Blueberry Breakfast

As I have mentioned before, breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day.  Since the scones are long gone and it was a beautiful Saturday morning, I decided to make a batch of blueberry pancakes.  It was a really lovely start to the day.  My sister woke up just in time to grab a plateful as they were coming off the stove, and we dug in right away.

I used this mix and threw a couple handfuls of blueberries in, so there is really no special recipe to post.  Enjoy the pictures though, and happy weekend!

Margaret

Baking for Breakfast

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day- especially when it's sweet and filled with fruit. These scones do just that. I have used this recipe for plain scones at least three times in the last month or so, but today I decided to throw in a little extra something. Today it happened to be dried blueberries and lemon zest, but really any fruit would work nicely. Enjoy!

Mini Blueberry Scones

Adapted from Gourmet

Makes about 16 (I got 20 since mine were smaller)

1/2 cup heavy cream plus additional for brushing the scones

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons sugar

Additional raw sugar for sprinkling scones

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup dried blueberries

1 tablespoon lemon zest

In a bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of the cream, the egg, the vanilla, and 6 tablespoons of the sugar until the mixture is combined well. In another bowl stir together the flour, the salt, the baking powder, and the baking soda. 

Using a cheese grater that yields large pieces, grate butter directly into flour mixture and stir in with a fork. (I find that this is easier than cutting it and then trying to blend it into the dough.)  

Stir in the blueberries, lemon zest, and the cream mixture with a fork until the mixture just forms a sticky but manageable dough. 

Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface for 30 seconds, pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick round, and with a 1 1/2-inch fluted cutter cut it into rounds (or other fun shapes!). 

Gather the scraps, repat the dough, and cut out more rounds. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper brush the scones with the additional cream and sprinkle them with the additional sugar (I like to use raw sugar here). Bake the scones in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden.