Eckert’s Blackberry Muffins

It’s blackberry season here on the Belleville Farm and we are picking loads of giant Eckert’s blackberries! My kids and their friends have been picking and eating berries like mad this week! Since we have an abundance of fresh berries at home, I have been experimenting with various muffin recipes.  My new favorite is a slightly-modified version from one I found on the Taste of Homewebsite. I had to cut our blackberries in half to make this recipe work. In my first batch of muffins, I used whole berries but it resulted in sinking, inconsistently baked batter.

My second attempt with halved berries was a yummy success! Cutting the berries made them easier to disperse evenly into the batter. This muffin batter is nice and thick allowing it to soak up the juices generated from the baking berries without getting soggy. You can certainly top these muffins with sugar or a homemade crumb topping but I like them as is. Enjoy Eckert’s Blackberry Muffins as a treat during the day or better yet, pass them off as breakfast on the go!

Eat well this summer, Angie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups Eckert’s blackberries, cut in half

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer running, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, alternately with milk. Beat until well combined.
2. Gently fold in blackberries with a spatula. Fill paper-lined muffins cups about two-thirds full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Makes about 18 muffins.