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20 breakfast and brunch recipes

Make an elegant and delicious breakfast or brunch to start the weekend off right.

Best blueberry muffins

In Praise of Leftovers
Blueberry muffins make a summer's morning feel complete.

By Sarah Murphy-Kangas, In Praise of Leftovers 

From my yellow Gourmet cookbook. These aren't revolutionary, full of whole grains, or attempting anything creative. They are blessedly plain and tender and don't require getting out a mixer.

For batter:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1 egg

1 egg yolk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cup flour

3/4 sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups blueberries

For topping:

3 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into little cubes

1/2 cup flour

3-1/2 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or line a 12-cup muffin pan.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat; remove from heat. Whisk in milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until well combined.

3. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Gently but thoroughly fold in blueberries. Divide batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

4. Combine all ingredients for topping in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over batter in each cup.

5. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool in pan for at least 5 minutes (10 would be better), then run a knife around edges of muffin tops and carefully remove from cups. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Mark Sappenfield
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