Blueberry Tea Muffins

Submitted by: jej
Last Updated: 12/22/2005

My employer supplied our kitchen with boxes of fresh, beautiful blueberries every summer, and this recipe became a standard. I sorted out the large berries for eating fresh, and kept the small ones for muffins and sometimes pancakes. I washed and thoroughly dried the little berries, then froze them on large trays, after which they were packaged in generous 1/2 cup quantities, ready for my recipes. I never thawed the frozen berries before using them, and they baked up perfectly, with no squashing or messiness.

1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted and measured)
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup blueberries (well-rounded)(don't thaw before using)

1. Grease muffin pans. Recipe will make 8 small and 8 large muffins, or 12 large muffins. (Or equivalents of smaller ones, as desired.)

2. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and mix well.

3. Sift 1-1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to first mixture alternately with milk. Do not over-mix.

4. Sprinkle frozen blueberries with remaining 1/2 cup of flour, and stir in very lightly. Stop mixing before all flour in absorbed, as it will finish 'mixing' as the muffin cups are being filled.

5. Spoon into the prepared muffin pans and bake at 400 degrees F. For tiny muffin pans, bake 12 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. For larger muffins, bake 25-30 minutes, or until they test done with the toothpick.