Glitter & Grace

Hello! It’s nice to be back here sharing a recipe after the long weekend. I hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day and a marvelous few days filled with sun, fun, and delicious food! I headed up to Sonoma County with my boyfriend, where we stayed at my parents’ home in wine country. We had the best couple of days – highlights included a trip to the beach, yummy barbecue, leisurely walks, and watching the Warriors pull off a couple of surprising victories.

I also loved the slow, sweet mornings, spent outside in the sun. I’m sure most of you agree that one of the toughest parts of the daily grind is those early morning wake-ups: rolling out of bed, chugging coffee, and hurrying to work, before you’ve even really had the chance to wake up. While I feel lucky that my morning commute includes a nice long walk through the city, this daily rush to start the day can still be taxing and tough.

So come weekend, I love nothing more than to enjoy a relaxed morning. To wake to the sunlight streaming through my windows, rather than a blasting alarm, and to take my time before fully opening my eyes to the new day. To savor a steaming latte, curl up on the couch with a good book, or fit in a tough workout before setting out from the house. Brunch, of course, is an integral part of the perfect weekend morning. Whether it’s eggs Benedict, sweet waffles, or a carefully prepared baked good, an irresistible brunch treat will be worlds away from Monday morning’s rushed bowl of cereal.

This past weekend, we enjoyed our breakfast time outside on the back courtyard. The sun was bright and cheery, and my kitty cat Juliet was our perfect companion. We filled the table with bowls of freshly picked raspberries from the garden and these homemade muffins. Pack with juicy, bright blue berries, these muffins are the perfect dish for a lazy summer breakfast. They’re quick to prepare, saving plenty of time for relaxation and fun. And the whole wheat flour added to the batter offers a nice contrast to the too-sweet, almost cake-like muffins that you often find at the grocery store.

After a long weekend spent enjoying this home baked treat, I highly suggest that you make a batch of these whole wheat blueberry muffins yourself! You can be sure that the entire house will be clamoring for a bite. They’re perfect fresh out of the oven with just a little bit of butter. The blueberries, bursting from every bite, will bleed their sweet juices into the batter. They may stain your teeth, too, but if that’s your biggest worry I’d call it a successful weekend!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring to combine. Stir in milk and vanilla.
3. Sift flours, baking powder, and salt into the same bowl. Stir into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in blueberries.
4. Spoon batter into prepared tin. Bake until lightly browned and a tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Notes

• If using frozen blueberries, you may need to bake muffins about five minutes longer.

*Let me know in the comments below: what’s your go-to brunch dish for summer?*