The courtship that led to my wife and I getting married occurred 34 years ago. Things simmered slowly and one of our first rendezvous was her simply inviting me for coffee.
It was a brilliant summer morning and when I walked into the quaint apartment she shared with a girlfriend, something was baking and the aroma was wonderful. Out of her oven came muffins, the perfect accompaniment for the just-brewed coffee she had made.
We sat, we chatted and ever since that lovely occasion, I’ve seen muffins as something particularly marvelous to enjoy in the summer.
I’ve continued that theme this week by whipping up three muffin recipes for you to try and share with your own loved ones, all of which incorporate fresh, in-season fruit.
They include blueberry muffins that I flavoured with orange and spice and enriched with whole grain flour and granola. I used a generous two cups of berries in the batter to ensure each muffin would contain many of them.
That recipe yields 12 large muffins, the perfect amount to have on hand if you have family or friends visiting or want to share some with your neighbours.
My second muffin recipe is also enhanced with berries, but in this case raspberries.
Coconut and almonds pair well with them and also made it into the batter, which had a balancing tangy taste thanks to the addition of yogurt.
To help keep the berries suspended in the muffins as they bake, in both recipes, I tossed the berries with some of the dry ingredients before folding them into the batter.
Lightly coating the berries this way causes them to cling to the place in the batter they were when you scooped it into the pan and not sink to the bottom when things heat up.
My wife and I have three apple trees in our backyard and the fruit from one of them is a month early, thanks to the fine weather.
I diced up some of that sweet apple and used it in my third recipe, a savoury muffin also containing tangy cheddar and smoky bacon. Serve these muffins alongside your morning eggs in place of toast.
No matter what type of muffin you make, read these tips before mixing:
• Confirm you have all the ingredients, as you don’t want to be running to the store mid-recipe to fetch something.
• Baking powder and/or baking soda are often used in muffins, and both can lose their leavening power over time. If your baking powder has been around a while, test it by mixing a half teaspoon with a quarter cup of water. If the mixture bubbles, the baking powder is good. To test baking soda, mix a quarter teaspoon with two teaspoons vinegar. If the mixture does not immediately bubble, the baking soda is history.
• When measuring, use standard measuring cups and spoons and fill them accurately — do not heap or almost fill them.
• When making a muffin batter, ensure the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients are well blended before combining the two.
When it’s time to mix the two, gently do so until just combined. Do not vigorously beat them together, as the gluten in the flour will overdevelop and your muffins will be tough.
Fresh Blueberry Muffins with Granola and Orange
These dense, aromatic, splendid-tasting muffins can be made with homemade or store-bought granola. In this recipe, each cup in the muffin tin is filled just over the top with batter, and that batter contains a generous amount of baking powder. Both of these steps ensure you end up with large, nicely domed muffins.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 22 to 24 minutes
Makes: 12 extra-large muffins
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole-grain flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granola
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
• vegetable oil spray
1/3 cup granola
Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Place the eggs, buttermilk, orange zest and juice, oil and vanilla in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Place the flours, one cup granola, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a second bowl and whisk well to combine.
Place the blueberries in a third bowl and coat with 2 Tbsp of the flour mixture.
Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
Coat a 12-cup, non-stick muffin pan with vegetable oil spray. Spoon the batter into the pan, filling each cup slightly over the top. Top each muffin with some of the remaining 1/3 cup of granola.
Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until a muffin in the middle of the pan springs back when gently touched in the centre.
Cool on a baking rack 10 minutes. Now carefully remove muffins from pan and enjoy warm.
Raspberry Muffins with Coconut and Almonds
These not overly sweet muffins dotted with ruby-red berries have a slightly tangy taste thanks to the addition of yogurt.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 18-20 minutes
Makes: nine large muffins
•vegetable oil spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened medium coconut flakes
1/4 cup sliced, skin-on almonds
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp unsweetened medium coconut flakes
2 Tbsp sliced, skin-on almonds
Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat nine cups of a 12-cup, non-stick muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.
Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Mix in the 1/4 cup coconut and 1/4 cup almonds. In a second bowl, beat egg with sugar, milk, yogurt, oil and vanilla until well combined.
Set raspberries in a third shallow bowl. Sprinkle raspberries with 2 Tbsp of the dry ingredients and very gently roll or toss to coat.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. It’s OK if the batter is a little lumpy. Now gently fold in the raspberries. Divide the batter between the nine vegetable-oil-spray-coated muffin cups.
Divide and sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining coconut and almonds. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a muffin in the middle of the pan springs back when gently touched in the centre. Cool on a baking rack 10 minutes. Now carefully remove from pan and enjoy warm.
Apple, Bacon and Cheddar Muffins
Cheese biscuit like in taste, these savoury muffins with bits of smoky bacon and sweet apple are great for breakfast or brunch. Make a meal by serving them with scrambled eggs, hash browns and some slices of ripe red tomatoes.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 to 17 minutes
Makes: six large muffins
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely diced red apple
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
75 grams grated cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
3 strips of bacon, cooked crisply, drained well and chopped
Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven 375 F. Spray six of the cups, in a 12-cup, non-stick muffin pan with vegetable oil spray.
Crack eggs into a medium bowl and beat well. Mix in the oil and buttermilk.
Place the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a second, larger bowl and whisk to combine. Mix in the apple, parsley, cheese and bacon, reserving a bit of the cheese and bacon to decorate the top of each muffin.
Mix the wet mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Divide and spoon the batter between the baking cups, filling each cup slightly over the top. Top each muffin with a bit of the remaining cheese and bacon.
Bake the muffins for 16 to 18 minutes, or until they spring back when gently touched in the very centre. Cool muffins 10 minutes on a baking rack. Now carefully remove from pan and enjoy warm.
Eric Akis is the author of The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.