The Best Blueberry Muffins

These are the blueberry muffins of my youth. They come from an old cookbook called Mother's in the Kitchen, that my mother has had in her kitchen for quite a long time. According to the cookbook, this recipe came from Mrs. Pat Koberstine's grandmother, who hailed from Ottawa, Canada. Despite that, these are called Belfast Muffins, or rather they are the blueberry variation of Belfast Muffins. What makes this recipe a bit unusual is the addition of wheat germ, which not only gives the muffins more of a nutty taste, it also amps up the fiber and protein in the recipe without making them seem too healthy. You should be able to find wheat germ in the cereal aisle of your grocery store.

The Best Blueberry Muffins 

1 cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter, cooled
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 ½ cup flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup wheat germ
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix ingredients together in order listed until just combined. Bake in a greased or lined muffin pan for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

This recipe makes 16-18 muffins, a bit more than will fit in a standard muffin pan. I like to bake the extra batter in a ramekin to create an extra large "super muffin." If your family is anything like the one I grew up in, that's the one everyone will fight over. You'll probably need to let the super muffin bake a few minutes longer than the other muffins.

If you would prefer to make actual Belfast Muffins, omit the blueberries and add 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses, along with dates, raisins, nuts, and apricots as desired. I've never had them, so I cannot vouch for the quality of the recipe. If you try it, let me know!