Blueberry and Spelt Muffins

Berry muffins have become a regularity at our home. I've been baking all kinds of variations of them throughout this summer because I think they make a nice afternoon snack. I usually look for recipes with wholemeal flour and little sugar in order to make them more suitable for kids. This recipe here comes from the good old "Tender: Volume II" by Nigel Slater. It has been a while since I made one of his recipes, but when I took a bite of one of these muffins yesterday, I remembered again why I adore him so much. Slater really understands the art of comfort food. The perfection of his recipes lies in their simplicity. Those muffins here, for instance, are seemingly unspectacular, yet, their taste and texture couldn't be more perfect - happiness with every single bite...

Recipe

(from the wonderful Tender: Volume II by Nigel Slater)

125g plain flour

125g wholemeal spelt flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

0.5 teaspoons baking soda

0.5 teaspoon salt

55g butter

125g golden caster sugar (I used really dark sugar which gave the muffins a fuller taste)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

110g yogurt

220g blueberries

Demerara sugar and rolled oats for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 12-mould muffin with paper cases.

In a bowl, sift together flours, raising agents and salt.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, scrape down the bowl occasionally with a spatula. Then, lightly beat the eggs and add slowly. Add vanilla extract and yogurt. I added some lemon zest at this point.

Gently add the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Fold in the berries. Drop the mixture into paper cases. Sprinkle the tops with a little sugar and a few rolled oats.

Bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool briefly in the tin, then place them on a cooling rack.