Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (bleached all purpose flour is fine, but the texture will be slightly more delicate)
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1 cup sugar
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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2 eggs, beaten
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1 cup buttermilk
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4 ounces butter
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1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cups blueberries
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1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
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3 tablespoons walnuts or 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature.
- In a small pan heat the butter over a low heat until melted.
- Increase heat and swirl gently until butter takes on a slightly brown color.
- Add oil, stir and allow to cool slightly while the oven's preheating to 425°F.
- Grease a standard 12 muffin tin, I prefer a medium coat of Crisco.
- Mix filling ingredients in a small bowl and beat at medium speed (a hand mixer is fine) until well combined and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add butter milk to cooled butter, stir and add eggs and vanilla, stir to combine.
- Pour wet mixture into dry mixture, mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are just moist.
- Don't over mix.
- Fold in blueberries and add spoon into tin, it will yield 12 muffins, so take your time and divide it evenly.
- With two teaspoons (like the ones that you use at the dinner table) create a well in the center of a muffin and place a heaping spoonful of cream cheese in that well.
- Do them one at a time and be sure not to go to the bottom of the muffin.
- Once again there is enough to do all 12 muffins, so take your time and divide it equally.
- Lightly sprinkle just a bit of brown sugar over each muffin.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, tops will be light brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake part of the muffin will come out clean.
- Muffins should just be starting to pull away from the sides of the tin.
- Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes on a rack.
- This seems like a long time, but the filling makes these delicate and the extra cooling time allows them to set.
- Once removed from the pans allow the muffins to cool to room temperature on a rack.