Makes 16 muffins

When we lived in New York, and later New Jersey, we often went rock climbing at the Gunks, climbing popular cliffs near New Paltz in the mid-Hudson valley. Bushes of wild blueberries grew along the tops of the cliffs, set back into the forest just a few steps from the edge. The blueberries stayed cool enough in the shade that nibbling on a few at the top of a climb on a warm summer afternoon they seemed to be naturally refrigerated! Whether you use wild blueberries or not, you’ll love them in these muffins with a streusel topping. The muffins have a wonderfully moist texture, and anyone we’ve served them to hasn’t been able to tell they’re gluten-free. If you have only one muffin tin, or would like to make just 12 muffins, you can put the extra batter in a small loaf pan and bake at the same time for 20 to 25 minutes.

Ingredients:

4 cups Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Mix, plus additional for tossing with the blueberries
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
½ pound (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
1 cup half-and-half
4 eggs
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray 16 cups of two 12-cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. Place paper liners in the greased cups if desired. (Liners are not strictly needed—the muffins should pop out of the tin, but the liners make it easier.)

2. Mix together the 4 cups flour, xanthan gum, sugar, and baking powder.

3. Add the melted butter and stir to form a crumbled mixture. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for the topping.

4. Mix together the half-and-half, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add to the remaining crumble mixture, stirring just until moist to make a batter.

5. Lightly toss the blueberries in a little flour, then fold into the batter. (The flour coating prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.)

6. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. (A cookie scoop or ice cream scoop works very well to transfer the batter.) Sprinkle the top of the muffins with the reserved crumbled mixture.

7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins spring back when lightly pressed. The muffins should be slightly golden brown on top.

8. Let the muffins cool in the tins for 10 minutes. Remove and serve.

Variations:

Cranberry Muffins: For the blueberries, substitute an equal quantity of dried cranberries and add 1 teaspoon grated orange zest to the batter.

Cherry-Almond Muffins: For the blueberries and vanilla, substitute equal quantities of cherries (fresh or frozen) and gluten-free almond extract.

Excerpted from:
Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking by Kelli Bronski and Peter Bronski
© 2009, The Experiment.