Blueberry & Vanilla Muffins

With some fresh blueberries from my parents' blueberry bushes on hand, I knew it was time to try a new blueberry recipe this weekend!

I've been craving muffins lately, so I decided to try a recipe I came across for Blueberry & Vanilla Muffins.

Blueberry recipes seem to be popular right now since red, white and blue treats are on our minds with July 4 nearing. I came across these patriotic cupcake papers from Wilton at Michaels a few weeks ago, so I decided to use them with this recipe.

My source was "The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book," at back, which I only recently learned is not the same as "The Perfect Afternoon Tea Book" in the foreground. These two British titles are similar, and they're both published by Lorenz Books, but they are quite different books, as I realized when I came across the larger book at Scott's Bookstore in Newnan recently. (I had earned a store credit, happily, and used it on this book!) The smaller, 8 x 8-inch book, contains just 35 recipes, including my favorite, never-fail madeleine recipe.

The newer purchase, this large 9-1/4 x 12-inch book, is simply brimming with 160+ great recipes in its 256 pages. This may be one of the best all-around teatime recipe books I've ever come across, and there are so many things I want to try: Leek and Bacon Tarts, Vegetable Muffins, English Muffins, Drop Scones, Teacakes, Rock Buns, Marmalade Teabread, Tea Fingers, Sticky Gingerbread, Lemon Roulade with Lemon-Curd Cream and oh, so much more! But first, blueberries. If everything in "The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book" is as good as these lightly sweet muffins, I'm going to be using this book a lot!

Blueberry & Vanilla Muffins

3 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (the recipe calls for caster or superfine sugar, for which you *can* substitute granulated, but I prefer to substitute confectioner's sugar)
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together flour and baking powder, then stir in confectioner's sugar. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, butter and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into bowl with dry ones and mix well. Add blueberries and stir. Spoon batter into baking cups until nearly the top of the cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are just beginning to turn golden brown. Yields 12 muffins.