Column by Sharyn Thompson

This past Sunday morning, I started to make my husband Gary some blueberry muffins to go with his breakfast for Father’s Day. I was following a recipe from one of my favourite cookbook authors – Ina Garten, better known as the Barefoot Contessa. This lady has amazing recipes. They always turn out right and taste good too. Her blueberry muffins, using fresh blueberries, had lots of cinnamon in them and they really looked and smelled good as I was preparing the batter. I decided to kick them up a notch and as I was filling the muffin paper liners with the muffin batter, I place a tablespoon of Sharyn’s Pantry blueberry pie filling in the centre of each muffin, then topped this with more muffin batter. I baked them as usual with great results. Very good! One recipe makes 20 muffins. As Gary bit into a hot muffin, spread with my honey butter, he said: ‘I can see these will be in this weeks column’. Then I said to him: ‘Thank you for giving me an opening line for my column’. We enjoyed a fun evening at The Seeker Awards night last Friday. Our store, Sharyn’s Pantry was voted best existing business. I thank those of you who voted for us. It is my pleasure and honour to help you in my store (for the past 36 years, this fall coming) and for many more years to come. Thanks again!

This past Sunday morning, I started to make my husband Gary some blueberry muffins to go with his breakfast for Father’s Day. I was following a recipe from one of my favourite cookbook authors – Ina Garten, better known as the Barefoot Contessa. This lady has amazing recipes. They always turn out right and taste good too. Her blueberry muffins, using fresh blueberries, had lots of cinnamon in them and they really looked and smelled good as I was preparing the batter. I decided to kick them up a notch and as I was filling the muffin paper liners with the muffin batter, I place a tablespoon of Sharyn’s Pantry blueberry pie filling in the centre of each muffin, then topped this with more muffin batter. I baked them as usual with great results. Very good! One recipe makes 20 muffins. As Gary bit into a hot muffin, spread with my honey butter, he said: ‘I can see these will be in this weeks column’. Then I said to him: ‘Thank you for giving me an opening line for my column’.

We enjoyed a fun evening at The Seeker Awards night last Friday. Our store, Sharyn’s Pantry was voted best existing business. I thank those of you who voted for us. It is my pleasure and honour to help you in my store (for the past 36 years, this fall coming) and for many more years to come. Thanks again!

DOUBLE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 rounded tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 level tsp,. baking soda
• 1/2 level tsp. Kosher salt
• 1- 1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1- 1/4 cup milk
• 2 extra large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups of fresh blueberries
• 1- 1/2 cups white sugar ( This is added only at the very last with the blueberries.)
• 1 cup of Sharyn’s Pantry blueberry pie filling ( or just a bit more )

METHOD:

1. Set your oven to 375 degrees F. You will bake on the 2nd rack from the bottom.
2. Line 20 paper muffin liners in your muffin tins, or spray with no-stick spray.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda and Kosher salt and ground cinnamon. Do not sift in the sugar now.
4. In a second bowl, combine the beaten eggs, milk and melted butter.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour into this all of the liquid ingredients: the eggs, milk and melted butter. -Mix only to combine. Quickly stir in the blueberries and white sugar. Mix just to combine.
6. Using a scoop, fill the muffin papers half full with the muffin batter. Now take a smaller scoop ( I used my cookie scoop) or spoon and place 1 tbsp. of blueberry pie filling in the centre of each muffin. Top the pie filling with a spoonful of muffin batter.
7. Bake the muffins in the pre-heated 375 degree F. oven and bake them for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of each muffin.
8. As soon as they get out of the oven, run the edge of a blunt knife blade around the edge of each muffin. to loosen each muffin. I placed them on a large dinner plate to cool slightly before serving. These are really a nice muffin and even better with the addition of some blueberry piefilling right in their centres.

ENJOY!

SHARYN THOMPSON, Owner of SHARYN’S PANTRY – a family-run business for 35 years. 
 812 Pitt St, Unit 6, Cornwall, Ont 613-936-1998 OPEN: Monday to Saturday – 9am to 5pm