rhapsodic.org is a weblog by Valette Keller

Bribing Monday with Muffins

My sleep schedule got all wonky this weekend because I decided I needed to do some night photography Saturday night. Or, more appropriately, 2 o'clock Sunday morning. And the best way for me to prepare for being up and functional at that time was to go to sleep at 7pm Saturday.

The night photography didn't work out at all (maybe because it's June? in Alaska? when the sun never really goes down ever?), but I wasn't tired at all when I got home around 5am. Made a big eggs-and-bacon breakfast, and enjoyed the day.

Until 8pm hit, and it hit hard. I went to bed, slept the best I've slept in the last few months, and woke up in a great mood at 5am Monday. A full 90 minutes before my alarm. There is no better way to celebrate a great night's sleep and extra morning time than by baking blueberry streusel muffins that promise to make your Monday awesome.

Streusel Topping

2T cold stick butter
1/4c flour
2T packed brown sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon

Consider the proportions, and instead of doubling the recipe, merely add half again as much. Because who doesn't love some cinnamon-y streusel? Cut butter into the other ingredients using a pastry cutter until crumbly. Set aside.

Muffins

1c milk
1/4c vegetable oil
1/2t vanilla
1 large egg
2c flour
1/3c sugar
3t baking powder
1/2t salt
1c fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400°F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups that have little cows on them. It makes the muffins taste better.

Beat milk, oil, vanilla, and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until flour is just moist. It will still be lumpy; lumps are your yummy little friends.

Fold in the blueberries gently so as to not flatten all of the lumps. Divide evenly among the moo-cow paper-lined muffin cups. Moo at the dog for good luck. Sprinkle the streusel on the top of each filled muffin cup.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until your boyfriend wakes up and asks what smells so good. Have him put two in a plastic bag for you, but leave it unsealed. Eat them at work, still warm, under the jealous glares of your coworkers.