lemon sugar crusted blueberry muffins.

it is no secret that i love to bake. when i am stressed, it calms me down. when i am sad, it cheers me up. and when i am in a good mood, it makes an even better one. i also love to bake for other people.i am fascinated by the idea that food can bring such warmth and love to relationships. i know it sounds dorky but i really feel like i can show my love to others with my baking.

sorry to ramble on here but honestly, if i could bake for a living, i would totally do it. except for the fact that i really, really want to be a teacher. anyway, sometimes i like to fantasize that i have my own bakery, especially after seeing shows like DC cupcakes and cupcake girls but i also realize how much hard work and dedication it would take and decide i am perfectly content with it being a dream. 

a couple months ago, when i started this blog, i thought to myself that i would really love to bake as a side job. just for fun, for others. and i am happy to say for the first time in my life, i can actually say that i was paid to bake! 

so matt's mom, donna sells mary kay makeup. she called me this week to ask if i would bake some muffins for her muffins and makeover party. of course, i said i would. so i decided to bake up the banana bread muffins i posted here and i also made some blueberry ones i found over at mel's kitchen cafe. 

i feel a little silly for being excited about this but i am...oh well!

lemon sugar crusted blueberry muffins + printable version
--recipe found at mel's kitchen cafe

lemon-sugar topping:

1/3 cup sugar

zest from one lemon

stir lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. set aside for later. 

muffins:

2 cups frozen blueberries (or 2 cups fresh)

1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

preheat oven to 375 degrees. spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or use paper liners. rinse one cup berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry. bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.

whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. the batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour. don't over mix.

fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. using a skewer or a toothpick, gently swirl the berry filling into the batter. sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.

bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool.