Being new to baking, I still had yet to bake muffins. It had been on my mind for some time now, but typical me, I overthought it. Fortunately, I found this recipe and tweaked it slightly to suit both my tastes and the contents of my pantry.

This is a good basic recipe for muffins, which can then be tweaked or replaced with other substitutions (with cranberries, for instance).

I wasn’t initially sold on the sour cream, although I’ve heard it being used in all kinds of baked treats. Let me tell you, it made these muffins so moist, soft, and springy! The top and outer crust of the muffin has just the right amount of crispiness, flakiness, and crunch, without affecting the mealiness of the inside.

The striations of blueberry which run throughout each muffin lend each bite a pop of fruity flavor, almost negating the need for sugar. Well, almost.

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY SWIRL MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease muffin tray or line with baking cups.
2. Place blueberries in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes, or until berries are mushy. Remove from heat and smash any remaining whole berries with a fork. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beats eggs and gradually add sugar while beating.
4. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
6. Mix in dry ingredients with wet ingredients, alternating with sour cream. Stir until smooth.
7. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tray. Create two layers of batter alternating with two layers of reduced blueberries in each muffin cup.
8. After cups are filled with batter-blueberries mixture, use a toothpick to swirl contents together within each cup.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Allow muffins to cool 10 minutes before removing from tray. Serve warm. Makes 1 dozen, or 6 large muffins.

Recipe adapted from here.