I recently tried a new recipe for muffins. It's actually the first from scratch muffin recipe I've ever tried. I've always used the mixes because they're easy, and my kids love them, but I'm always interested in seeing if I can make one from scratch that we like just as much, if not more. I think I've found it on the first try! I was in the store a while back, and blackberries were on sale, so I thought it would be a good time to find a recipe and make blackberry muffins. Luckily, I found one pretty easily. I like this one because it's not overly sweet. I do have two kids that weren't a huge fan of the blackberries, but you can use this as a basic muffin recipe, and add whatever you want(chocolate chips work well). Avery and I really want to try a banana/choc. chip muffin, or at least some kind of banana muffin.
Here's the recipe:
Blackberry muffins
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp salt
.5 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp milk
1 cup sugar
8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups of fresh blackberries (about 5-6oz.) You can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available. Defrost and drain them first.
Preheat to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes(or longer). Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.
Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking.
Makes about 18 muffins.
*So, that's the actual recipe, but here's what I did differently.
The second time I made these, I added more cinnamon, probably about a tablespoon. We didn't think half a teaspoon was enough.
Also, the first time I made these, I didn't have any sour cream. I looked online for substitutes, and I just happened to have buttermilk (that I bought for something else). I don't remember how much I added, but it worked fine. (you can find equivalent amounts online) I've now made it both ways, and I didn't notice a difference.
Lastly, this makes anywhere from 18-24 muffins, depending on how big you make them.
Enjoy!
Here's a funny picture of Avery. Every time I turn around, he's outgrown his clothes, so we had to resort to raiding Keith's closet. Obviously, these pants are a little big, but the fact that he wore them, along with Keith's snow boots (from when we lived in Alaska!) is kind of scary. :) 
Finally, I leave you with this picture of Brady. I mean, what snow day is complete without a gun?! (please notice the orange tip, it's just an airsoft gun!)
