Blueberry Angel Muffins

Leisure time truly is a luxury as of late.  After an eight-hour workday, I am squeezed for time more so than what I am used to–only four hours to eat dinner, do something, and get ready for bed.  For a person as indecisive as I am, I find that determination of what that “something” is to be troublesome.

Prioritization for tasks that have some degree of urgency?  That, I can do.  Prioritization of hobbies?  That, I get stumped.  I want to do it at all, which leads me to do crazy things like getting up an hour earlier to squeeze in time to look at the food blogs.  It’s definitely not the ideal situation since most of the time, I am half-awake trying to sift through blog after blog.

Then again, no amount of sleep deprivation can undermine the gorgeousness of these Bill Yosses’ muffins.  What’s not to like?  Pillowy and light with a serious splatter of blueberries!  Even at 6 AM, my sleepy brain transmitted: I like, I like!

Although I never have made angel food cake before, that fact did not hold me back from trying.  I did become apprehensive when I noticed a commenter noted that these muffins were not for the novice.  Still, I was optimistic.  If anything, I am going to will my muffins to look and taste amazing!

And they were an amazing set of muffins.  Usually, I have some inkling what recipes should taste like, and they’re normally within range of what I expect with one or two nameable drawbacks.  This recipe, however, fit my vision perfectly with its subtle sweetness, ethereal lightness, and bright blueberry flavor.  It was so fabulous that I had to share with a friend.

After bagging a set of muffins for my friend to bring home to her family, I received this text:

“By the way, Mom and my brother liked the souffle muffin.  (Yes, I know it’s not a souffle, but it reminds me of one.)”

Haha, perhaps, that’s the best way to describe it.  Like a souffle, the muffin is airy and light but bursts with the sweetness of the ripest summer blueberries.  With its slightly crackly crunchy top, it truly is irresistible.  Heck, I am going to make it again next week :)

Blueberry Angel Muffins

Printable Recipe

Adapted from Bill Yosses’ The Perfect Finish (via Project Foodie)

Chef’s Note: In order to keep the muffins light, once you beat the egg whites to their peak volume, you don’t want to disturb the batter any more than necessary. That’s why I toss the vanilla and berries together in a bowl, then fold half of them into the batter and top the muffins with the rest, rather than mixing in the vanilla earlier and stirring all the berries in, as you might in a conventional blueberry muffin recipe. The goal is to avoid crushing the airiness-better to mix the berries in less evenly than to lose all that lift.

Makes 12 standard-size muffins

Special Equipment: 12-cup standard-size muffin tin, sifter, electric mixer, cake tester

Nonstick cooking spray, for the muffin cups

2/3 cup cake flour (2.67 ounces, 76 grams)

½ cup confectioners’ sugar (2 ounces, 57 grams)

¼ teaspoon salt (1.25 grams)

3/4 cup blueberries (3.9 ounces, 113 grams)*

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8 grams)

8 large egg whites (7 ounces, 200 grams), at room temperature

Pinch of cream of tartar

½ cup granulated sugar (3.5 ounces, 99 grams), plus 6 teaspoons additional for sprinkling

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

* Note: I cut back on the blueberries because the sheer number of them were making the muffins soggy.  Yosses originally used 1 1/4 c of blueberries.

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a standard-size muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray, or use ungreased paper muffin cups.

2. Sift the cake flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper and set aside. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the vanilla.

3. In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until frothy. Add 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and beat at medium until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining granulated sugar, and raise the speed to high. Beat until stiff peaks form. While the eggs are beating, preheat the oven to 375°F.

4. When you have stiff peaks, stop the machine and remove the bowl. Immediately sprinkle the dry ingredients and lemon zest over the egg whites and fold in with a rubber spatula, working carefully to avoid deflating the whites. Fold in half of the blueberries.

5. Divide the batter among the muffin cups so that each is two-thirds full. Top each muffin with a few more blueberries and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar.

6. Bake on the center rack until the muffins are lightly golden and a cake tester inserted in their centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin as soon as they come out of the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Serve within 4 hours.

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