Lavender Blueberry Muffins

You put flowers in your muffins?!

This was my sisters reaction to my description of these unusual blueberry muffins.

Lavender is such a pretty flavour, fragrant and woodsy it makes a lovely aromatic addition to all kinds of baked goods. I had tried lavender in shortbreads and jams but never baked with it myself so when I found some dried lavender buds at one of the grocery stores I frequent, I knew I had to make something with lavender in it. Enter the lavender –blueberry muffin. I found this recipe on the Toronto Star recipe archive. It is a somewhat unusual combination, but lavender goes amazingly well with berries especially when it is accented with a hint of lemon. This recipe is a basic blueberry muffin heightened with the addition of lemon zest and lavender. I ground the lavender with the sugar in this recipe to make lavender sugar before adding that to the rest of the ingredients. I also used the tiny little wild blueberries that appear in the markets this time of year. These tasted a bit more complex than your usual blueberry muffin recipe. The lavender flavour comes through as a subtle aftertaste that is accented by the lemon zest in the batter.

I think my only problem with this recipe was that it uses a full tablespoon of baking powder, which gave a light texture and created nicely domed cupcakes but I think it also made them a little on the dry side.

Despite that these muffins taste fresh and springy and bright , and with a bit of butter and jam they make a great brunch. I really like the combination of blueberry and lavender and I think I will try using lavender sugar in place of regular sugar in other blueberry treats.

Lavender Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh lavender or 1 tsp finely chopped dried
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1. In food processor grind sugar with the lavender until lavender is finely ground.
2. In large bowl, combine flour, lavender sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs and stir in buttermilk, oil, lemon zest, and blueberries. Stir into flour mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Pour into lined 12-cup muffin tin. Bake in preheated 375F oven 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Makes 12.