Steve's Evil Kitchen Turns Blue

"Why don't you ever make something that other people might actually try?" I was asked, so here's Blueberry Muffins. If you're eating muffins straight from the oven, light and unfancy is the way to go, but I can't eat 12 muffins at once (well, okay, I CAN, but I'd rather not), so these are rich and will last a day.

Not my photo. I bake, I don't do food styling.

Mix three cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder (preferably Rumford brand), 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of cinnamon.

Melt (or soften) one stick of butter, add 2 tablespoons of neutral vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add one cup of sugar and cream the sugar in the fat until fluffy.

Separate two large eggs and reserve the whites for a later step. Add the yolks to the creamed sugar and incorporate. Zest a lemon and add 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest to the mixture. Beat in, in 2-3 stages, 1 1/2 cups of low-fat plain yogurt and the dry ingredients from the first step.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over 1 1/2 cups of frozen (or fresh) blueberries and fold into the mix; do not let the berries thaw. Beat the egg whites to stiff but not dry peaks and gently fold into the mix.

Grease 12 1-cup muffin tins (paper liners are optional) and fill with the muffin batter to about 2/3rds full. Sprinkle the tops with a total of 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (raw, demerara, turbinado - regular will do, but won't have the same effect) and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tins, turn upside-down and place on a lint-free towel to cool (the towel will get stained).