Mixing old and new memories

An old memory and a recent experience are the inspiration for today's recipe. Let's begin with the old memory.

Old Memory: Growing up, our family made an annual summer pilgrimage to Mt. Rainier National Park. We would always stay at site C-9 in the Ohanapecosh campground (see picture from this summer). The years that we would borrow Grandpa Van Dyke's motorhome, I would wake to the smell of blueberry muffins baking in the oven. We always used a box mix which, alas, contains gluten and is now off-limits.


Recent Experience: A classmate and labmate of mine, Kate, from MIT got married this past August. Having grown up on Cape Cod, she wanted the wedding to also be out there (how awesome is it to get to attend a wedding in sandals and a suit). We stayed with friends of Kate's family in Hyannis Port, Janni and Jeff, and over breakfast I discovered that Janni also cannot eat gluten. On the way out the door back to Boston, she gave me some gluten-free blueberry muffins that she purchased. She admitted the were a bit dry and after one bite I agreed.



There has to be a way to make a moist, tender, muffin that's gluten-free right? Yes, Victoria, there is...and you can find the recipe below.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Once these muffins have cooled, store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave prior to consuming, about 20-30 seconds, otherwise they'll taste wicked dry.

10 tablespoons unsalted, soft butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sweet white sorghum flour
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons raw sugar (not granulated, look for Turbino)


Preheat the oven to 375.

Combine all the dry ingredients together (sorghum flour through salt). Set aside.

Cream the butter and white sugar together, until just creamed. If you leave the stand mixer running as they are creaming, these muffins will not rise. Simply cream them until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg.

Add one half of the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add one-third of the yogurt and combine until well mixed. Add one-half of the remaining dry ingredients to the mixture, and combine. Continue this, alternating the yogurt and dry ingredients, until you have mixed both of them in, completely.

By hand, stir in the blueberries, lemon zest, and crystallized ginger.

Line a muffin tin with paper or foil cups. Fill each cup two-thirds full. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the top and set them in the oven.

(This recipe will give you enough batter to make two tins of muffins, or close.)

Bake the muffins for about 35 minutes, or until the tops have browned and started to harden.