Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Dried Blueberry and Chocolate Muffins #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber




A simply sweet treat for Valentine's Day - so easy! 

So there I was, pulling a Rachel Ray, going through my cupboards wondering what I had to use up, and I found dried blueberries. I'm not sure why I had them. Maybe one of my DILs brought them for the kids. So I searched online for something to make with dried blueberries. I was hoping for a muffin. The beauty of muffins is they're easy to make and cook up in under a half hour. Instant gratification.

As for the blueberries, I've used dates and raisins in lots of baked goods and knew there had to be some recipe for dried blueberries. Well, it turns out there are lots of recipes. And they work like regular blueberries. All you have to do to plump up the dried blueberries is cover with water (for about 15-20 minutes) and then drain off the water before using. 

Note: They do NOT taste like fresh blueberries—by that I mean, they don't explode in your mouth; not even after being plumped—but they do taste yummy.  

Now, the recipe I found didn't seem quite right. It used "shortening." I can't remember the last time I used shortening in anything.  The closest thing to that would have been coconut "oil" because it congeals like shortening. [Coconut oil is so  much better for you. But I didn't want to use coconut oil and change the flavor.] So, rather than use shortening, I switched to canola oil. I would bet you could use butter, if you desired. Plus I added chocolate chips to the muffins. Because why not? I had a partially used bag of those lying around, too. I can't buy a whole new bag until the old one is used up, right? And I need a full bag in the house. Ha!

This recipe turned out lovely. I made the muffins gluten-free, but I know using regular flour would be just as nice. (See my notes about that at the end.)  I wrapped each individually after they cooled and stored half in the freezer.  As for the ones I didn't freeze, they heat nicely in the microwave. About 15 seconds on medium-high for that "warm-from-the-oven" flavor. 

Enjoy.

Dried Blueberry Muffins
Gluten-free
(*See below for regular flour)
 (yield: 12 muffins)

1/4 cup dried blueberries
2 cups gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon whey powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar + 2 teaspoons for sprinkling
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, if you dare (minis would be best)

Put the blueberries in a small bowl and add just enough hot water to cover.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

In a small bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.  (*See below for regular flour)

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, milk, oil, and egg.  Whisk to combine.  Add the dry ingredients and stir.

Drain the blueberries and add them to the mixture. If desired, add chocolate chips. Stir until the goodies are evenly distributed.

Fill 12 muffin cups approximately 2/3 full. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake at 375 until lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick, inserted, comes out clean.


*to make these using regular flour, substitute the GF flour with regular and omit the xanthan gum. You don't need the whey powder, either. I use that in gluten-free cooking to keep the texture moist. GF flours can dry out.













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4 comments:

  1. I love making muffins! So many different ways to make them, they are fast and go well with every meal or as a nice snack.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blueberries and chocolate?
    I am SO there!
    Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the idea of adding the chocolate chips with the blueberries. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I usally add chocolate chips to muffins, if they don't already are chocolate dough based. :) I'll have to try adding blueberries. I've tried raspberries and cherries. Yummy! I usually coat the berries in flour, so they don't all have a meeting at the bottom. ;)

    This anonymus is Bruni btw. from the facebook list and newsletter. I don't have either website or google acount to sign in with. :)

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