Quarantine Cooking: Bakery Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Ambitious Kitchen

As promised, I will post my recipe before I write about any thoughts I have about this recipe or that I had while making it.

The first time I made these muffins it was simply because I wanted to. I like blueberries, and the original author had really talked a big game about how great these muffins were. She had every right to- these muffins were amazing. I think Juan and I went through them in just a few days. This was also my first time browning butter and the results were great. It really changes the game for the baked good. The nutty smell of the butter after it is browned is so delicious and intoxicating. I am fully a fan.

The second time making these was less leisurely and more urgent. I am preparing on doing a cross-country trip back to the Midwest and it requires emptying out the fridge before we leave. Those blueberries which I had been casually dropping into my morning yogurt had to go and they had to also take up a lot of the other ingredients we have in the fridge and pantry that would go bad in the time that we are travel and that Juan is away from California. So blueberry muffins it is.

It's crazy to think how 10 weeks have flown by. My time in California was cut short but I think I was able to explore a lot more of my baking and cooking interests. I am growing up a lot more in my tastes (I like runny eggs now! Cashews are my favorite midday snack! I am getting better at making foods off of the top of my head rather than using a recipe!). I think this is also challenging me to read more recipes and learning what are the special additions that make each recipe unique. In this recipe, the almond extract is the winning addition. It is the difference between this muffin tasting like a regular one and a bakery muffin.

Not to get philosophical on a post about muffins, but I think that these changes in my tastes and interests is essential to the next steps of my life. I'm getting ready for my final year of college and with that comes a lot of responsibilities. I'm collecting data for my BA thesis, I'm applying to graduate school. Life is coming at me fast, and with it comes the need to think on my feet. That includes thinking in the kitchen. I need to know how to cook and bake efficiently and not just stress baking when things are getting to be too much for me. Given that the world is in the middle of a pandemic and public health crisis, this is more important than ever. I cannot give into pressure. 

Despite all of this, I am excited for the year ahead, even though I am already preparing for all the ways it is going to be different from the Senior year I expected. Through it all, however, I will be cooking and baking and making sure that me and my roommates and family are well fed and still exploring, even if it's in the confines of our little homes.

Ileana uwu