World's Easiest Blueberry Muffins

Many years ago, while blueberry picking in the Adirondacks, we found an orchard so rich with berries (as in, you could pick them by the handful!) that within an hour or so, we had amassed nearly 15 pounds of the fruit. (And that doesn't count the fact that the children ate more than they dropped in the bucket.) During the following week, I baked them in numerous pies and cobblers and muffins and cakes from all sorts of recipes, but until this week, I'd never found a blueberry muffin recipe as simple and delicious as this one.

It is ridiculously easy, so simple than an eight-year-old could make these. Or maybe even a four-year-old.  They require no special equipment: just one bowl, a measuring cup, a spoon and a fork.  And muffin tins, of course.  The batter can be put together so quickly, that you can enjoy warm-from-the-oven muffins in just over 30 minutes.

 Below are the ingredients: blueberries, an egg, oil, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork.  Add the wet ingredients (the egg, oil and milk) and stir together.

Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. (The lighter colored one in the center was baked for 20 minutes, and I thought it was too light, so I returned the pan to the oven for about 8 more minutes. I just popped it back in place for the photo.)

Voila!

Production notes: I followed this exactly (and have written out the method a bit more clearly below). I used 1 percent milk (because that's all we had) and regular vegetable oil. 

World's Easiest Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven to 350F
Line a muffin tin with paper liners

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 large egg
1 c. (approximately) milk
3 T. vegetable oil
1 c. fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Break an egg into a two-cup glass measuring cup. Add milk to reach the one-cup mark. Add the oil. Mix together with a fork, breaking up the egg.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the large bowl and combine. (Don't overmix, or your muffins will be tough.)
Carefully blend in the blueberries.
Spoon the batter into the tin.
Bake until done. (20 minutes wasn't enough in my oven -- you want some color on these -- so I baked them for nearly 30).

Gingersnaps

If you can't bear to cut out another Christmas cookie, consider this festive -- and snappy -- holiday cookie. Not only are these gingersnaps delicious, but they are very easy to prepare. That's because the dough is formed into logs and sliced, relieving the baker of the tedious task of rolling and using cookie cutters. It's a modern-day incarnation of the refrigerator cookie, once a staple of nearly every mid-20th kitchen. Today it is seen most often in the slice-and-bake versions manufactured by Nestle's and the like.

This is not a vintage recipe, though it is over 20 years old. It's from a charming children's cookbook, Fanny at Chez Panisse by Alice Waters. Fanny is Alice's daughter. (For those who've been living in a cave the past 30 or so years, Alice is the chef who invented the farm-to-table movement, and so much more. Her restaurant is a not-to-be-missed experience in Berkeley, California.)

Start by mixing the butter and sugar. Add in the egg, vanilla and molasses.

The dough will be quite stiff after the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Form into three balls, cover in plastic and refrigerate.

Roll the dough into logs, wrap in plastic and freeze for 30 minutes. (Though I did this right from the refrigerator and it worked fine.)

Slice into cookies.

Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar if desired. I used pearl sugar, purchased a while back at Ikea.

Close up of unbaked cookie.

Gingersnaps from Fanny at Chez Panisse

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 c plus 6 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 c molasses
3 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t powdered ginger

Preheat oven to 350 F

Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla, egg and molasses and continue creaming until well combined.
In another bowl, combine the flour and spices.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine well.
Divide the dough into three equal portions, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured board, roll each piece of dough into a log-shaped cylinder that's about 1 3/4 inches in diameter.
Wrap in plastic and freeze about 30 minutes, or til firm.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the logs into cookies about 1/4 inch thick and place on the cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool and enjoy.