Buckled Down

Last week brought some rainy days, which were surely bemoaned by summer visitors, but which I welcomed wholeheartedly. Sometimes, the pressure to make the most of our fleeting summer season gets the best of me, and I look forward to a thunder shower or two to take a cozy, guilt-free break from my usual weeding, beekeeping, and falling out of canoes in my clothes (it happened). And what better way is there to accompany a dreary day than with a good book and a moist, struesel-ly blueberry muffin.
Blueberries happen to be my most favorite fruit, so when I saw two heaping pints full of plump berries at Miss Scarlett's Blue Ribbon Farm stand at the Harwich Farmer's Market, I snatched them up at lightning speed. Every time I've purchased fresh, Yarmouth-grown produce from the farm's sassy proprietress, Susan Knieriem, she, like a concerned parent interrogating her daughter's high school prom date, has questioned my intentions for the items I've chosen. This time she seemed disappointed that I wasn't making a pie, and again dissatisfied that my blueberry cake wouldn't have frosting on it, but I sincerely appreciate her interest in the fate of her labors. I hope that she would agree that my recipe of choice does justice to the juicy tartness of her perfectly ripe harvest.

         This recipe comes from a neighbor who originally made it as two 8-inch round coffee cakes. It makes equally delicious muffins, and the single serving situation might keep you and your loved ones from eating the whole batch in one sitting. Either way, Blueberry Buckle is best paired with a glass of milk and a lazy afternoon.

Blueberry Buckle
Yields 24 muffins or 2 8-inch rounds

Crumb topping:
½ stick butter
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Batter:

1 stick butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk
2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix until well-combined. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients. Add dry mixture to wet, alternating with milk. Mix until batter reaches an even consistency, then gently fold in blueberries. Pour batter into 24 lined muffin tins or two greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Sprinkle crumble topping over batter and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 15-18 minutes for muffins, 25 to 30 minutes for cakes.