THE BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

After much thought, I have to confess that I don't know of anyone that doesn't like blueberries. They can be fresh, dried, frozen or whatever, but they are good, that I know for sure.....AND, they are good for you too.
One of my passions is collecting cookbooks. I discovered William Sonoma Cookbooks years ago and have to say that I have never tried anything from their books that wasn't fantastic. The following Blueberry Muffin recipe is from their Muffin cookbook. Please try it, you won't be disapointed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter flavored nonstick cooking spray. You can also use muffin papers.

TOPPING:
stir together....1/4 cup all purpose flour, 2 T granulated sugar and firmly packed brown sugar. 1/4 t ground cinnamon all in a small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub 2 T cold butter (cut into small pieces) into the dry ingredients just until coarse crumbs form. This can also be done in a mini processor.

MUFFINS:
In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together 7 T unsalted butter, at room temperature and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fulffy. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until blended into the butter mixture.

In another bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 4 t baking powder, and 1/2 t salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 2 increments, alternating with 1 cup of milk, and 1 1/2 t vanilla extract. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen unsweetened blueberries, unthawed, just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Take care not to break up the fruit and do not overmix.

Spoon batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkly each muffin with some topping.
Bake until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature with maple butter.

MAPLE BUTTER:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 3 T maple syrup
cream together the butter and maple syrup in a small bowl until well combined. Store covered in the refrigerator before serving. Makes about 1/2 cup. Enjoy