Blackberry Muffins

At this time of year I go mad and bring home buckets of blackberries (and we don't have a freezer) and everyone ends up groaning, "Oh no, not blackberry and apple pie again!". So this is a nice alternative way of using them, and I have to say these are damned good consumed with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the wood-burning stove.

Ingredients

• 200g/7oz plain wholemeal flour
• 85g/3oz caster sugar (I usually only use 2 oz as I don't like muffins too sweet)
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 142ml/5fl oz buttermilk* or sour cream or yoghurt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 42g/1 1/2oz butter, melted
• 125g/5oz blackberries (be generous, I normally throw in a few more for good luck)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5. Grease a 6-hole muffin tin (you'll probably have more batter than just for 6 muffins, I normally get about 8 or 9)
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla essence and melted butter together.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients are just combined and the mixture is quite stiff, but be careful not to overmix - it should be lumpy!
5. Lightly fold in the blackberries, then spoon the mixture into the tins to fill the holes generously.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes until risen and pale golden on top. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Like all muffins these don't keep well and are best eaten the same day. You were going to do that anyway right?

Buttermilk Substitute

Yeah, I never have any on hand either, and my local supermarkets only sporadically keep it. So, here's a good way to 'sour' milk to use in the place of buttermilk.

To each cup of milk, add 1 1/2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice or 1 1/3 tbsp of cider vinegar. For best results warm the milk through slightly first. Let the soured milk stand for at least five mins before using it to give it time to thicken.

Soured milk will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a tightly covered container.