As winter set in this January, Sarah Kieffer recalled how it snowed for eight months last year in her hometown, Minneapolis. For weeks on end, the temperature dipped below minus 20. Surrounded by grayness, she baked blueberry muffins for the cheer of their bright pops of blue.
“It’s like when the hobbits got to Mordor, and Sam looks up and sees a bright shining star, and has a little bit of hope,” she said. “That’s what a blueberry muffin feels like in February.”
Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Ms. Kieffer, the author of “100 Morning Treats” (and a self-described “super nerd”), grew up with box-mix muffins and has since created from-scratch versions for her popular baking blog and cookbooks. She prefers muffins that aren’t as hefty as some bakery ones and lightens the texture with almond flour.
This simple lemon blueberry muffin uses only all-purpose flour and relies on yogurt for an unparalleled airiness. Even though muffins as dense as coffee cake are delicious, they’re not quite right for a season of heaviness (wool coats, beef stew, existential crises). This is when you want bites of sunshine, bites that feel like soft breezes.
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