I love blueberry muffins, especially in the morning with a cup of coffee or some green tea. Yum. I'm not a big fan of the store bought kind, except those jumbo blueberry muffins from Costco. They used to be my favorite. After trying this recipe though, I wouldn't even consider buying blueberry muffins again. It's such a simple recipe and the muffins turn out better than anything you will find in a store.I usually use coconut oil or palm shortening in the recipe and I think that's what keeps these muffins so moist. I'd use butter too, but I really love the results of baking with palm shortening or coconut oil. These are refined oils as well, so there is no palm or coconut taste in these at all.Blueberry Muffins with Pecan Topping3 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 cups sugar1 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder2/3 cup palm shortening (coconut oil, butter) (melted)2/3 cup milk2 eggs2 cups blueberries1. Melt the palm shortening on low heat in a small saucepan for a couple minutes. Turn off the heat once the palm shortening is half way melted. The residual heat will melt the rest of it and this will also allow it to not get too hot. Set aside and bring to room temperature.
2. While the palm shortening is melting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line the tray with muffin liners.
3. Make the pecan topping (recipe below).
4. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. Mix in the eggs, milk and melted palm shortening.
4. Pour into muffin tins and top with pecan topping.
5. Bake for 20 minutes and turn down the oven to 375 degrees. Continue to cook the muffins for 5 to 10 more minutes, making sure the tops don't get too brown.
Pecan Topping
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
1. Pulse the pecans in a food processor until they are chopped small but not ground into a powder.
2. Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and pinch the mixture together into a sandy crumbly mixture. Mix in the pecans.
Let me know how it works out for you!
These doughnuts are so good and are so worth the effort! I didn't think they would be so easy to make, but they really are.
My husband loves these and he's not really a fan of sweet breakfasts. He took these into work one day and no one believed that they were homemade. He even preferred these over the doughnuts at Art Smith's Table Fifty-Two (Oprah's former personal chef's restaurant). Yes, they are that good.
I fry these in refined coconut oil (sometimes palm shortening or beef tallow) so they are trans fat free, which makes them taste even better. I also do half the donuts glazed and half of them coated in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. I really love both of these toppings.
I used these cookie cutters to cut out my doughnuts, but they're really not necessary. I've used a small glass to make round doughnuts without a whole in the middle and I've even made just doughnut holes. Let me tell you, they were delicious every time.
You can refrigerate the dough after the first rise (step 2) overnight and proceed with the recipe in the morning. That is definitely the way to go if you want to make these for breakfast. I have done this many times (even for more than one night) with fantastic results.
Yeast Doughnuts
Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe here
1.5 cups milk
1/3 cup palm shortening, butter, or refined coconut oil
4.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (95-105 degrees F)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
23 ounces all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting surface
Refined coconut oil, palm shortening or tallow for frying (amount depends on fryer)
1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and heat up just enough to melt the shortening. Place the shortening in a small bowl and pour the milk over the shortening to melt.
2. Pour the warm water into a small bowl and stir in the yeast. Let this mixture sit for five minutes and then pour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Once the milk and shortening mixture is lukewarm, combine with the yeast and water mixture. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, nutmeg and half of the flour. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium until well combined. Add the remaining flour, mix starting at low and increasing the speed to medium. Beat well. Change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter or pastry ring and using a 7/8-inch ring for the center whole. Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a light towel, and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
4. Preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365 degrees F. Gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 or 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to a cooling race placed in a baking pan. Cool 15-20 minutes before glazing. Cool 10 minutes before sugaring.
Donut Glaze
Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe here
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. Sift confectioners' sugar into milk mixture. Whisk slowly, until well combined. Remove the glaze from the heat and set over a bowl of warm water. Dip doughnuts into the glaze, 1 at a time, and set on a draining rack placed in a half sheet pan for 5 minutes before serving.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients into a small bag. Add a slightly cooled doughnut to the bag, close and shake well to completely coat the doughnut. Repeat for remaining doughnuts.
