Marionberry Muffins - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Each summer I freeze at least one flat of Marionberries to use during the winter months. Marionberries are a blackberry cultivar with a sweetness and complexity that has led the folks who grow and market them to dub them the "Cabernet of Blackberries." That may be an overreach, but I must tell you they do make delicious cobblers, scones and muffins and they are a wonderful addition to sauces for beef and lamb. Those of you who garden might want to know more about how the berry was developed and additional information can be found here. Marionberry muffins have become a part of our holiday celebrations and I made them for our breakfast yesterday morning. The muffins are delicious, easy to make and, while the recipe calls for Marionberries, any type of caneberry can be used to prepare them. There are no hints needed to make these successfully and the recipe is straightforward. Here's how the muffins are made.

Marionberry Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
2 cups sour cream
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups Marionberries (blackberries, raspberries or blueberries may be substituted)
Melted butter and sugar for topping

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin cups or line with paper liners. Set aside.
2) In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat until incorporated. Blend in sour cream and set aside.
3) In a separate mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; fold into creamed mixture gently (DO NOT OVER MIX).
4) Fold in Marionberries and spoon batter into muffin pans, filling them 3/4 full.
5) Bake muffins 24 to 26 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Muffins are done when toothpick comes out clean.
6) Transfer to cooling racks and while still warm, dip muffin tops in melted butter and then into granulated sugar. Yield: 16 to 20 muffins.

You might also Enjoy these recipes:
Banana Crunch Muffins - What's Cookin Chicago?
Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting - Plain Chicken
Perfect Blueberry Muffins - The Sophisticated Gourmet
Cranberry Upside Down Muffins - Back to the Cutting Board
Lemon Cranberry Muffins - The Food Republik
Oatmeal Muffins with Raisins, Dates and Walnuts - Simply Recipes
Whole Orange Muffins - Food and Whine

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

"I See Skies of Blue...Clouds of White....

.....bright blessed days, dark sacred nights and I think to myself what a wonderful world." To see the world through the prism of a child is one of life's delights. Their joy in the discovery and mystery of the world is contagious and keeps the old among us young. We know that wonder must be tended if it's to last a lifetime. Sometimes it must be taught. Sometimes it must be shared. Several years ago I found myself stretched face-up in the sand of an Oregon beach holding hands with my grandsons as we searched an azure sky for phantom peaks hiding in the clouds above us - phantom peaks are cloud masses that resemble mountain ranges. It was a perfect day. We found K2 and Annapurna and watched the, sometimes amazing, aerial acrobatics of the raptors overhead. The boys have moved on to other things, but I know with certainty there will be another day when they scan the sky with children of their own, seeking the phantom peaks of their childhood.

I thought these pictures would be perfect for Blue Monday, so I'm sending them to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

Himalayan Poppies and Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's

There are things we know to be true, things we know can't be true, and things that conspire to confound us. Years ago, while rummaging through a thrift shop, I found and claimed a watercolor with a blossom so intensely blue I believed it existed only in imagination. I had never seen a blue poppy and, doubting Thomas that I am, it, ergo, could not exist. To keep me humble, the fates and furies made sure I found the fabled Himalayan poppy. It was tucked in a far corner of a greenhouse flaunting a flower so intensely blue it hurt the eyes. That, of course, led to some investigation and, as things happen around here, a voyage of discovery. While I lobbied for the Himalayas, my soulmate thought Butchart Gardens a more practical destination. So we headed North in search of more blue poppies. We found them and since that time we've grown them, some years with more success than others. Gardeners know her to be a fickle lady. I thought you might enjoy a peek at this fabled beauty, so I'm send this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event. For the record, I'm still lobbying for the Himalayas.