BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD

I love blueberry season! 

 There is nothing better than eating a handful of freshly picked blueberries.  I found myself having so many blueberries the other day that they were in danger of going bad in my fridge.  I couldn't let that happen. 

 I remembered seeing a recipe for Blueberry Zucchini Bread a while back.  I had never had any but it just sounded good.  I made some the other day and it was soooo good...especially with a dollop of real butter on top.  Oh my gosh, I could make myself sick on this bread.  I have now made 6 loaves and will make more as soon as I get a chance!  

These loaves were so moist and even though there is zucchini in the recipe, you cannot taste it.  If you look closely, you can see some specks of green.  I think the zucchini just gives it the moisture it needs for a soft texture.

BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Vegetable Oil

3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 cups Sugar

2 cups shredded Zucchini

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

1 pint Fresh Blueberries

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar.  Fold in the zucchini.  

Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Lightly grease or spray with Baker's Joy, 3 - 8 inch X 3-7/8 inch X 2-15/32 inch loaf pans.

Pour mixture evenly into pans.

Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean.  

Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE!

BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD

Not the greatest picture but thought I would share anyway!

I have been wanting to try a blueberry bread with all the fresh blueberries of the season.  I decided to look online for a lemon blueberry bread but.....this recipe caught my eye.

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com.  I love the site because there are so many people who comment in the review section.  This recipe got 5 stars, which is the highest rating and the reviews raved about how good it was....good enough for me.

A few friends and I decided to start a book club.  We are reading what is turning out to be a really awesome book.  It is called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  If you want a book that will inspire you, then pick this one up.  The writer has a beautiful writing style.  The first chapter is a little heavy but it sets the foundation for the writer's journey.

Okay, I have diverted. My point was that I was hosting the book club this morning and I wanted to have a little something to serve.  I figured that the bread would be perfect anddddd I had all the ingredients.  Awesome, since I didn't decide to make it until last night!  Whyyyy do I do that to myself? 

When I started mixing it up, I really had my doubts. The mixture was thicker than I expected so I was a little worried that it would be dry but it turned out to be so moist!  I used a mandolin to shred the zucchini so it took me about 5 minutes...super easy!  I did not want 4 small loaves, as the recipe called for so I looked through the reviews and someone said they had made 2 larger loaves and increased the time.  I went with that recommendation and they came out perfect!

It does call for 2-1/4 cups of sugar which I think is a lot.  Next time I make this recipe, I will cut the sugar by 1/4 cup and then each time after that, I will cut the sugar by 1/4 cup until I get it to the point of least sugar needed for my taste.  It also calls for 1 cup of oil but there was a review that used part applesauce for the oil but since I didn't have applesauce, I will have to try that one next time.

Okay, enough of my going on and on.  Here is the recipe...hope you try it soon.

P.S.  I didn't take pictures since I was in a hurry this morning but I will take some soon and add them to this post!

BLUEBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Vegetable Oil, (I used Canola)
3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2-1/4 cups Sugar
2 cups shredded Zucchini
3 cups all purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 pint fresh Blueberries

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Lightly grease 4 mini loaf pans or 2 large loaf pans (I use Bakers Joy)

3.  In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar.

4.  Fold in the zucchini.

5.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

6.  Add 1/2 of  the dry mixture to the wet until just blended then add remaining dry ingredients and beat until well blended.

7.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

8.  Pour equal amounts into loaf pans.

9.  Bake 50 minutes for the 4 mini-loaf pans or 1 hour and 15 minutes for 2 large loaf pans or until a knife inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. 

10. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.  (Note: I turned the loaves out onto the cooling racks immediately after coming out of the oven)

11.  Slice and serve with butter, if desired.

ENJOY!

 

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

Blueberry Pancakes

 

If I could pick my very favorite breakfast food it would have to be pancakes. When we are on vacation, they are my go-to breakfast.  I usually make them from Pioneer Buttermilk Mix about once a month (maybe just a tad more than that...wink)  As much as I love Pioneer pancakes, my very favorite were my MaMaw Allie's pancakes!  When I was a little girl, she would make them for me from scratch and I so wish I had her recipe. 

I was really wanting pancakes this morning but I was out of Pioneer Mix...ugh.  I should have eaten my greek yogurt with healthy blueberries. However, the tempting little voice in my head that said "you could make them from scratch" won out.  Where was that voice of reason?  It said "just put the blueberries in the batter".  My "healthier version" of pancakes, yeah right! 

I have to say though, they were so  yummy and the blueberries took them over the top!  Maybe these should have been for a special occasion....say Father's Day, which we had oatmeal.  We will just say this was Father's Day Breakfast 6 days late!

Leave off the blueberries and you have a basic pancake recipe and you definitely could add your choice of ingredients....chocolate chips, pecans, bananas...etc.  I wonder if cooked ground breakfast sausage would taste good...I bet it would be awesome!  May have to try that and get back to y'all!

You've got to try them...they are ridiculously perfect!

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

 (makes about 8-12 medium to small pancakes)

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used salted)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of blueberries
*Without the addition of the blueberries, it is a basic pancake recipe.

Whisk the first four ingredients together in a large bowl.

Flour

Sugar

Baking Powder

 

Salt

 

Add the milk and the butter to the dry mixture and whisk to blend well.

Add the eggs and vanilla and blend until combined.  Do not overblend.

Fold in blueberries.

1. Heat and lightly butter a skillet.  I use a non-stick skillet for pancakes.

 2. Ladle batter into skillet and stop when the size is a little smaller than you want it to be because it will spread a little. 

3. Wait until the top has bubbles on top and some have began to pop before you flip them over.  If you flip them and they do not end up where you want them, wait a few seconds until the bottom has cooked a little and then you can adjust them. 

 
4. They will start to rise and will only take about half the time on the second side as the first.  You can lift the edge a little to see if it is lightly browned.

 

5. Remove from skillet, top with butter and syrup.

Go!

Going!

 

GONE! (Could not eat another bite!)

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE 

Best Blueberry Scones I've Ever Had!

Last week, I picked up blueberries from a local blueberry farm.  They were the best blueberries I have ever eaten.  My daughter, Holly, and I always wanted to like blueberries because we knew they were healthy for us but when we would buy them at the grocery store they were usually sour...not sweet at all.  Then we tried  these blueberries!  They were AWESOME (in a singing voice)!  They were so sweet and I found myself eating them by the handfuls.  Because my mother was put in the hospital last week, I didn't get to eat them like I would have and I was worried they were going to ruin so I was trying to think of something I could cook with them.

For some reason I thought of blueberry scones.  I absolutely love them but I have never attempted to make them.  I always thought they would be hard to make so I would just buy one every once and a while at Starbucks.  For those of you who do not know (like my son-in-law Daniel), scones are a cross between a biscuit and cake and they are carbs to the nth degree!

Perfect!!  I started looking for a good recipe.  I found one on allrecipes.com that sounded really good, read the reviews and decided to give it a whirl!

Seriously, these were sooo easy to make!  I actually made two different batches because they are fast and easy!  They turned out wonderful!  Daniel, who I mentioned earlier, is really hesitant (to put it mildly) about trying new things.....but he gave in and tried one (we're food-pushers at our house)!  He ate that one and then he brought another one home with whipped cream on top of it!

There are a couple of things that are important to know when making scones.
     1.  Have your oven hot (400 degrees)
     2.  Do not mix your dough too much.  If you work the dough too much, it will make yucky scones!


I plan on making some different scones now that I have a good recipe.  I would like to try a savory scone with garlic, cheese and herbs before long.  Maybe even one with chocolate chips or a lemon-blueberry one! Yummm!!

Best Scones Ever

1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
4 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup blueberries (recipe called for currants)
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Sift flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.   Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rub between your fingers until it is pea-size lumps. (I froze my butter and then grated it into the dry ingredients and used my hands to blend with dry ingredients until it was crumbly).

Mix the milk and sour cream together and pour all at once into the crumbly mixture.  Stir gently until well blended.  Do not overmix or it will result in terrible scones.  Gently add the blueberries.

With floured hands, pat dough into balls about 3 inches wide.  Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten lightly.  Let sides barely touch.  Whisk egg and milk together and brush on top of each scone.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Let them rest for about 10 minutes.  I put mine in the freezer.  I read somewhere that you want the butter to be hard when you put them in the oven.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown (not deep brown. 

Slice them in half and serve with butter or whipped cream and selection of jams or just eat them plain!! 

ENJOY!

HEAVENLY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (Best Blueberry Muffins Ever)

One is not enough of these blueberry muffins!  I made these this morning for my husband for Father's Day!  They are really easy to make...a little time consuming but so worth it.  I watched him eat 3 for breakfast then when we got home and before lunch he ate 2 more.  I don't know how many he ate in between but I know he just ate another one!  My daughter saw them on the counter before lunch and she said she was going to eat half before lunch and the other half after lunch.  Yeah....it was gone before lunch!!   And now that I'm thinking about it....I have eaten 3 myself!  

The streusel on top is why I call it heavenly and the muffin is like a little, vanilla cloud!  

These would make the perfect dish to share, make for a brunch, or to give as a gift.  This is one of my favorite recipes and I hope that you will like it so much it becomes a favorite of yours too!

HEAVENLY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in muffin pans or spray pan with Bakers Joy.  

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, slightly softened and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

In a medium bowl, stir flour and sugar.  Add butter pieces and combine mixture with a fork until topping resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside

Muffin Batter

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 sticks butter (room temp.)

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, (room temp.) 

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda.

With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  

At low speed, beat  in one egg at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream, and milk until combined.  

Add 1/3 of dry ingredients at a time and beat until just combined.  

With a spatula, evenly fold blueberries into batter.

Spoon batter into muffin pans and fill each cup to the top. 

Sprinkle streusel topping over batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

*I usually start checking these early because I like them lightly brown not dark.

Makes 24 muffins.