Blueberry Yogurt Muffins with Almond Streusel

I thought I had messed this one up. As I was cleaning up the table after popping the muffins into the oven, I saw the jar of baking soda sitting on the far side of the table, suggesting it had not been brought forward and used.

CRAP!!

The one tablespoon of baking powder that I distinctly remember putting in would help it rise, but without the extra base from the baking soda to balance out the low-pH of the yogurt, would the whole thing just turn out sour??




Luckily, the answer is no. The muffins came out really moist, just barely tangy, and lightly sweet. Interestingly, there was a slightly springy quality to the crumb, almost as if I had put in mochiko (glutinous rice flour) even though it is composed of all wheat flour.

Was it because I left out the baking soda? I have no idea. Or maybe I did put it in and forgot?? If anyone makes this recipe, you'll have to let me know how it turns out when made correctly.

But for being a failure of accuracy, it didn't turn out to be a failure of execution, and I'm happy to report it was delicious even without the baking soda.




Blueberry Yogurt Muffins with Almond Streusel (adapted from The All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats (I used old-fashioned)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups vanilla low-fat yogurt (I used nonfat plain yogurt, so mine turned out less sweet)
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 & 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped (I used sliced almonds)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 2 standard muffin tins by greasing or placing paper liners in each well.

For the muffins, combine flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. To measure flour accurately for this recipe, lightly spoon flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Whisk dry ingredients together and then make a well in the center. In another bowl, combine yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, and egg, whisking until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold to combine. When almost completely incorporated, add blueberries and fold gently to combine evenly. Spoon into muffin cups evenly--each muffin should be a little over 1/8 of a cup (2 tablespoons) of batter.

For the streusel, combine 1/4 cup flour, almonds, butter, and brown sugar, mixing with your hands until evenly distributed. Sprinkle evenly over the prepared muffin batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the centers spring back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool pans approx. 10 minutes before removing muffins from the pans to cool completely. Can be refrigerated or frozen in airtight containers for long term storage.