Very Berry Buttermilk Muffins

Oh, my goodness these are wonderful! Bursting with berries that pop in your mouth when hot out of the oven. The lemon zest brings out the fresh tang in the berries and makes me want to go on a picnic and eat several of them under a tree on a lazy summer day. They are so pretty, I think I took about 70 picture of them. ;-) These are perfect for a Sunday morning special treat.... or picnic ;-)

I use oil in this recipe instead of butter which makes the muffins wonderfully moist and tender because oil prevents the development of gluten in the flour. Buttermilk makes these so thick, creamy and with a rich tangy buttery taste. Whereas in the past buttermilk was made from the liquid left over after churning butter, it is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. I use buttermilk powder, a small bag goes a long way. You just mix 1 TBSP powder per 1/2 cup water. Keep it in your pantry, I add it to muffins, cookies, breads, pancakes, casseroles, chicken etc. It is a great source of Calcium!!!

You can make your own buttermilk though by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup (240 ml) of milk. Just stir the vinegar into the milk and then let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Note: If using frozen berries you may have to bake the muffins a little longer than the stated time. Also,

just be sure not to defrost the berries first as this will cause them to soften and bleed into the batter

makes one dozen muffins

You will need:


1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

* 3/4 cup Almond flour

* 3/4 cup dehydrated cane juice (Raw sugar)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Zest of one orange or lemon

1 large egg, lightly beaten

* 3/4 cup buttermilk

* 2/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray 12 - 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.
In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gently fold in the berries. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.


Fill each muffin cup almost full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.


PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE

Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Best Food Cookbook





* notes of interest

* dehydrated cane juice is granulated, so I'm not sure why it's called juice. It is also called RAW sugar. It is much better for you than refined sugar. It is easy to find, next to the refined sugar in most grocery stores.


* Almond flour is gluten free and high in protein and good essential monounsaturated fats. Not to mention it tastes GREAT in muffins and cookies, almondy. ;-)

* Do not use Iodized salt. It has added dextrose/sugar (check the nutrition label). Sea salt has natural Iodine in it, a good mineral.

* use unrefined canola oil if you can find it. Coconut or walnut oil are other good choices, they are monounsaturated (good) fat. Canola oil is an Omega-3 oil when it is unrefined, but usually it is refined so not as good for you.

Typical American diets are way to high in Omega-6's, usually 1:50 (Omega-3 to Omega-6). You really need a balanced diet of 1:1 Omegas.

examples of Omega-6's:
eggs, poultry, beef fed w grains, baked goods, cereals, popcorn, corn oi., grape seed oil, safflower, soybean, sunflower seeds just to name a few.

examples of Omega-3's:
walnut oil, fish oil, hemp oil, sesame oil, flax oil, flax meal, walnuts, kiwi, fish, leafy veggies, legumes, butternut squash, black raspberry, eggs, poultry and beef fed grass/natural diet.