I was in my early teens when my family loaded the minivan and embarked on a summer vacation driving up the western Michigan coast. In addition to the promise of sand dunes, charming bed & breakfasts and shopping along the way, the pinnacle of the trip would be taking the ferry to Mackinac Island and staying at the island's famous Grand Hotel, where evening wear is still required in all areas of the hotel after 6:30 PM -- jackets & ties for men and dresses for the ladies. We couldn't wait.
We mused for days about what Mackinac would have in store for us when we disembarked from the ferry. No cars allowed, we would rent bicycles to tour the sights, take horse & carriage rides each night before dinner, and find the Iroquois Hotel, birthplace of our family's beloved blueberry-lemon muffin recipe.
We made it as far as Charlevoix (I still have the sweatshirt) before my youngest sister came down with a nasty virus and the decision was reached -- without my input, mind you -- to skip Mackinac entirely and head home. We were devastated.
I still haven't made it to Mackinac (someday....), but I'm convinced these muffins are probably one of the best things to come off the island anyway. Enjoy!
MACKINAC BLUEBERRY-LEMON MUFFINS
Makes 18 large muffins or 36 small muffins
Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup + 3 TBS sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
2/3 cup cooking oil (vegetable or canola)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
3 TBS. lemon zest
Glaze:
4 TBS butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare two medium tins for 18, or three small muffin tins for 36.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder, salt, and sugar. Combine well with a whisk.
In a small bowl, add the eggs and whisk for 10 seconds. Add the milk and oil and blend.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Gently combine. Important: Stir as little as possible to moisten the flour! It's perfectly fine for the batter to be extremely lumpy and streaks of flour remain. Set the batter aside to rest.
Combine the blueberries and lemon zest in a separate bowl, and stir to combine. Gently fold the berries into the batter, again stirring as little as possible. (NOTE: Over-stirring batter agitates the gluten in flour and causes quick breads, such as these muffins, to turn out tough with elongated holes throughout the finished product).
Gently spoon the batter into the muffin tins to 3/4 full. Put muffins into oven for 18-20 minutes. Check them at 15 minutes. If they're browning too quickly, set them on the lowest shelf in your oven. When baked, remove from oven and cool for five minutes.
Remove the muffins from the cooled tin. Dip the top of a muffin into the melted butter and roll lightly in the sugar. Repeat. These muffins can be held overnight and heated before enjoying the next day, but are always best fresh & warm. :)
Mackinac Island Visitors Guide: http://www.mackinacisland.org/
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island: http://www.grandhotel.com/
Iroquois Hotel, Mackinac Island: http://www.iroquoishotel.com/
