Berry Corn Muffins

Like many cooks once freeze warnings arrive I turn the oven on for some serious baking. Invariably things never turn out right the first time I make them but then I get back in touch with my inner baker. That is, if she still exists. Lately I’m all about muffins. And specifically, cornmeal muffins.

I’m really luck to live close to a bona fide mill. Weisenberger Mills in Midway, KY is more like a living museum as the Weisenberger family has retained and maintained the mill’s original equipment from circa 1913. I love going there to visit and to pick up freshly milled flour and cornmeal, which is sometimes milled that very day. There’s no comparison to what you get in a store in terms of quality and freshness.

The cornmeal, which we sell at the Honest Farm Market, is by far the best I’ve ever used and it makes excellent buttermilk cornbread. And excellent corn muffins! The following is a recipe I first did when I was a magazine food editor for Glamour. Sorry there’s no photo but they are very good muffins and not too sweet. You can substitute most any berry for the raspberries if you wish. The raspberry butter isn’t crucial but does make it special.

Berry corn muffins

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup raspberries
Florida crystals (granulated brown sugar crystals)

Heat the oven to 375ºF.

Lightly grease 12 half-cup muffin tins with butter (or line with paper baking cups).

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir with fork and make a well in the center. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, oil and lemon zest. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened (do not beat batter or muffins will become heavy). Gently stir in berries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon of Florida crystals. Bake on middle rack of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Let cool in muffin tins 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around muffins and gently lift from tins. Serve muffins warm and spread with raspberry butter, recipe below. Makes 12 muffins.

Raspberry butter

1 stick unsalted butter, at room
    temperature
3 tablespoons fresh raspberries
2 teaspoons honey

Combine butter, berries and honey in a small bowl. With a hand mixer, beat until butter is light and creamy. Spoon into
a small bowl or ramekin. Makes 1⁄2 cup butter—enough for 12 muffins.