Blueberry Cupcakes with Toasted Meringue

Oh, hello there. Can we be friends again, please?!

July was one hell of a month—two of my friends got married, I spent over a week in Maine for my own wedding stuff, marathon training got really intense!! Just everything is happening in a beautiful 2-3 month period, and I can’t bring myself to chill for a sec and bake! I mean I did allow myself to binge read the new Harry Potter book in a couple of days—that’s as wild as I get!

I love when life is crazy busy and exciting, but like, hold up, can I have a day or two when I can think about nothing and just nap?! Maybe I’ll take a nice winter hibernation this year…

So, while being at my mom’s house, I forgot how much I absolutely love waking up every morning and picking fresh raspberries and blueberries from all of the bushes we have around the house! It doesn’t get much better than that—I mean maybe when I would bring my dogs with me to pick them and they would smush their faces into the berries, then leave them on the ground. I suppose that was pretty cute…even though they wasted so many beautiful berries…

ANYWAYS! That there is the inspiration for these moist, berry-filled cakes I’ve made for you. There is just something so satisfying about homegrown produce, and when you can bake with it, I mean, that is the ultimate! Oh wait, then I added some meringue on top—even torched it with my brand new flame! This has been on my “must have” list for like, a lifetime, and my friends were too kind to have gotten it for me!

And let me tell you, it does so much more than just torch meringue, it lights candles, it lights cupcake liners on fire, it makes fruit taste burnt, it’s just all-around fun!

When I stopped lighting nonsense on fire with my new torch, I actually toasted the meringue, and Oh. My. Gosh. Hi campfire on you gorgeous little blueberry cakes! If I hadn’t felt such a sugar high, I would have just torched ALL of the meringue and eaten it like that. The balance of the sugary meringue, the tart berries and the toastiness on top of it all—it’s one of the most perfect bites in my opinion!

I can’t get over it, clearly shown by all of my exclamation points in the last paragraph! And now!

Being at home, in Maine, means the ocean, the fresh air, the weird accents, bonfires, family, lots of dog snuggles, and, of course, fruit picking! Having a beautiful bowl of handpicked berries on the back patio on a cool summer morning is just beyond comforting and relaxing. While these cupcakes are not exactly that, it’s pretty damn close!—I give you yummy blueberries stuffed into cupcakes and topped with (way too much) toasted meringue!

It’s light, it’s happy, it’s summery, and it screams all things Katie! 

cake ingredients

Butter—2 oz, 4 TBL

Sugar—2.75 oz, or 1/3 C

Vanilla Extract—½ tsp

Eggs—2

Plain Yogurt—4 oz, or ½ C

Flour—5.5 oz, or 1 C

Oats—1 oz, or ¼ C

Baking Powder—½ tsp

Salt—½ tsp

Cinnamon—1 tsp

Blueberries—5 oz, or ~1 C

process

Preheat your oven to 350˚ F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.

Once light and fluffy, add in the vanilla and eggs.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Alternating between the yogurt (I prefer Greek!) and the dry ingredients, add about ½ of each at a time until you have finished both.

Fold in the blueberries.

In a lined muffin pan, fill each cup up about halfway with the cake batter.

Bake in your preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until the top springs back just slightly.

Allow to cool completely before putting the meringue on top!

For the meringue, it is this recipe here, but I halved it to use for this recipe (you can even quarter it if you’d like). Also, torching the meringue is, of course, optional, but if you have a cute little kitchen torch, I highly suggest using it—adds for a great toasty flavor!

Bon Appétit!

Whole Wheat Carrot Blueberry Muffins

Happy second week of January!

How is it already the 11th? When did this month decide to sneak up on us? January is almost at its halfway point—totally not ready for that my friends!

With the first week back at work under my belt, my craving for anything dipped in chocolate and covered in candy canes (more or less) gone, I have had this inspiring “I can take on the world” attitude for the last 10 days. I am pretty sure it is partly the fault of these insanely healthy muffins.

I am not throwing some super fibery, possibly too dry, bran muffins at you BUT even better—blueberries, carrots, whole wheat flour, oodles of spice, and so many healthy fats. What else makes these pretty damn perfect? The fact that there is 3g of protein in each muffin. Yes. In. Each. Muffin.

Did I mention that they taste like a carrot cake? The moistness (…favorite word) of this muffin is unbeatable and the fact that there is whole-wheat flour, chia seeds and coconut oil as well makes them not only hearty, but also filling and good for you!

Like, where have these been all of my life?!

Did I mention that this whole New Year, New You thing has totally become my new mantra? I am always making way too many resolutions come January 1st, but instead, I figure if I am actively trying to better myself, that covers every resolution base. Whether that means eating a few more spinach leaves each day, reading one more chapter in my book, testing 4 recipes a week as opposed to 3, or just spending less time obsessing over social media and more time driving my fiancé crazy by singing Justin Bieber at the top of my lungs—this year will be the best, most positive year yet!

So yes, please throw me a super green smoothie with a side of these Whole-Wheat Carrot Blueberry Muffins and I know that I can really do anything!

ingredients

AP Flour—1.5 oz, or ¼ C

Whole Wheat Flour—10.5 oz, or 1 ¾ C

Baking Soda—0.5 oz, or 2 tsp

Salt—½ tsp

Cinnamon—0.3 oz, or 2 tsp

Nutmeg—1 tsp

Chia Seeds—0.5 oz, or 1 TBL

Coconut Milk—2 oz, or 4 TBL

Coconut Oil (melted)—3.5 oz, or ½ C

Eggs—3

Brown Sugar—5 oz, or 2/3 C

Maple Syrup—1 oz, or 2 TBL

Vanilla Extract—1 tsp

Carrots (grated)—4.5 oz, or 1 ½ C

Blueberries—8 oz, or 1 ½ C

process

Preheat your oven to 425˚ F.

In a bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and chia seeds.

Mix.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut milk, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk together.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together.

Once combined, add in the melted coconut oil.

Fold in your grated carrots and blueberries.

Line your muffin tin with muffin papers, or simply spray with nonstick spray.

Fill up each cup with muffin batter about ¾ of the way full, making sure to get plenty of berries in each one!

Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top of each muffin—this will caramelize and add a slight crunch to the top of your muffins.

Place in the oven for 5 minutes, and then turn your oven temperature down to 345˚F and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back slightly when touched, or when a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before taking them out of the pan.

Enjoy on their own, toasted, with a bit of jam on them, whatever you need to give you an extra boost for the day!

Yield—18-20 muffins

Bon Appétit!