Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Cupcakes That Wanted to Be Muffins


I tasted blackberry sage tea for the first time about five years ago. The sweet and savory brew immediately grabbed my tastebuds' attention and became one of my favorite tea varieties. As I tried to think of unusual taste sensations for cupcakes, the combination of plump berry and aromatic herb sounded particularly appealing.

Last Saturday, I didn't have quite enough cash to purchase the enormous blackberries available from vendors at the local farmer's market. So on Wednesday I took a deep breath, counted my cash, and dropped by the smaller market in hopes the same vendors would be there again. Fortunately, there were plenty of blackberries on hand and I eagerly scooped up a pint in preparation for my next cupcake creation.

But, sometimes, a cupcake would rather be a muffin. The flavor of the frosting I made overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the cooked 'cake' and I set it aside. And then my husband ate three muffins in under 10 minutes. I guess that's as good a recommendation as you can get!

Blackberry Sage Muffins

Makes 12-15 muffins
1/2 cup oatmeal
11/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
6 teaspoons dried leaf sage
1 cup large blackberries, halved
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind oatmeal into fine powder, in a food processor. Combine all ingredients except blackberries in food processor. Pour batter into a large bowl and gently fold in blackberry pieces with a rubber spatula. Fill muffin papers approximately 3/4s full. Bake 25 minutes until golden brown.
ENJOY!