I Ate Three and Called it Supper

This is my contribution to the May #baketogether from Abby Dodge: Cornmeal Buttermilk Muffins, sweet or savory.

Despite my well-known obsession with dessert, I  initially planned on joining team savory for this one, until I saw how many other people had the same idea. Not wanting to let team sweet down, I opted to switch sides.

The hard part was deciding what to do with the recipe. Curry coconut was a strong contender, then I remembered I still had half a bag of blue cornmeal in the fridge. I had to use the blue cornmeal, but what else? Rummaging around the kitchen I came up with frozen blackberries, a lemon, and a bottle of natural cherry extract. I didn’t have any buttermilk, but I did have plain yogurt. I was set. I would make blue corn blackberry muffins.

Past experience has shown me that buttermilk and plain yogurt are interchangeable in baking. I have yet to find a recipe where this switch did not work. In fact I often prefer things made with yogurt. They just taste better. (Note that this is for baking. They are not interchangeable in other applications like, for example, the buttermilk glaze in my guest post on Abby’s blog)

I also elected to substitute melted butter for the oil, for the flavor. I knew I would sacrifice a bit of moistness by using butter, but I was betting that with all the yogurt in the recipe, the impact would be minimal.

Damn, I love these muffins. As soon as they were cool enough to handle I immediately ate three and called it supper. I ate the other three for breakfast. Now I have to make more because my children are complaining that they didn’t get any.

I’m posting Abby’s recipe with my modifications below. For her original, click here.

Blue Corn Blackberry Muffins
Makes 6, moist muffins.

For the muffins:

• 3/4 cup (3 3/8 ounces) all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (1 1/3 ounces) finely ground blue cornmeal (instead of yellow)
• 1/4 cup (2 3/8 ounces) granulated sugar (reduced slightly from the original)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (instead of buttermilk)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (instead of oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure cherry extract (instead of vanilla)
• zest from 1 lemon (my addition)
• 6 ounces blackberries, frozen or fresh (about 1 packed cup) (instead of strawberries)

To make the muffins:

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 6 regular-sized muffin cups with paper or foil liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.  Whisk until well blended. Measure the yogurt using a 2 cup glass measure (if you don’t have one, measure the buttermilk and pour into a small bowl). Add the egg, melted butter, and cherry extract and whisk until well blended. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold (no stirring) until just blended. Gently stir in the blackberries.
3. Portion the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups (1/4 cup of batter per cup will be about three-quarters of the way full). Bake until the tops are pale golden brown and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes (longer if using frozen berries). Move to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins from the pan and set them on a wire rack. Serve immediately or cool completely and stow in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. I like them best when they are served warm so please reheat before serving.

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