Two flavors of New Hampshire in one muffin

I am always proud to say that I live in NH.  I love that not only does my state have direct access to the ocean but also to the majestic White Mountains. The best of both worlds. 

 Yes, NH has long, WHITE and cold winters but also has a soft and precious (sometime very wet) season of spring that is followed by a HOT and humid summer which then leads into a spectacular season of fall with colors of reds, oranges and yellows. NH is blessed with four seasons....some are easier than others...but usually we can find beauty and happiness at some point in all of them. 

Another special part of NH is what is grown and produced within our state.  Berries of many kinds are grown and cultivated in abundance.  In the dead of winter I will start counting down the days as to when the first day of berry picking will begin.  I live for berry picking! - in particular blueberry picking.  Strawberries are wonderful to pick but the duration of blueberry picking seems to last longer than the quick 2-3 week season of strawberries.  Another speciality flavor of NH is maple syrup.  Pure maple syrup is like gold in my eyes.  Its sweetness not only exists in its flavor but also in how it is produced. Long hours of gathering the sap from the maple trees which is then followed by even longer hours of boiling down the sap is what makes maple syrup come alive.  What a gift PURE NH maple syrup is!  

In my discovery of this muffin recipe I rejoiced that it combined two of my most favorite ingredients in the whole world...blueberries and the flavor of maple syrup.  And let me tell you my happiness was not in vain as the muffins came out AMAZINGLY delicous.  Delicous I say!  Thank you RECIPE girl for sharing this recipe.  Thank you VERY much.

Blueberry Maple Muffins

(recipe from the fabulous blog, recipegirl.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt)

3/4 cup sugar

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs, at room temp

1/2 tsp maple extract

2 Tbsp AP flour (for tossing over the blueberries)

2 Tbsp sugar (also for tossing into the blueberries)

1 cup fresh blueberries (I am sure frozen blueberries could be used if you don't have fresh)

Directions:

1. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin (although my batter gave me a "bakers dozen" of muffins) with non-stick spray.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 

3. In a medium bowl combine yogurt, 3/4 cup sugar, melted butter, eggs and maple flavoring.

4. In a third bowl combine blueberries with 2 Tbsps flour and 2 Tbsps sugar - toss gently to coat berries.

5. Combine dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.  Do NOT over mix...batter will be lumpy.  Mix just until flour is barely visible.  Add in blueberries, gently.

6. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins.  An ice cream scoop works great for this step.

7. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of a muffin comes out clean.  Allow the muffins to sit for 5 minutes before removing from pan and goobling up serving.

Happy Blueberry Maple Muffin Baking!

p.s. NH is a great place to live if you are looking to relocate.... ;-)