Soy Milk Blueberry Muffins

After a few requests, I decided to post something that would be favorable for all of you health-conscious folk. I chose a Soy Milk Blueberry Muffin recipe, which included a few ingredients that you don't normally find in similar recipes.

First of all, this specific recipe uses honey as a sweetener, rather than sugar or artificial sweeteners. The good news is, it makes a much healthier muffin; bad news - it's not going to taste as sweet as you may expect.

Second, it calls for fresh rosemary - DON'T use dried rosemary leaves...it's just not the same. The fresh rosemary doesn't create such an obvious flavor.

Third, orange extract is used, which is brilliant. Just try it.

Ingredients Needed:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used regular butter, but Smart Balance will work just as well)
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 2 eggs (or use an egg-white equivalent here)
• 2 cups wheat flour (wheat flour causes the muffins to darken a bit more, FYI)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup soy milk (SILK milk is the best!)
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can line the pans with cupcake liners, or spray with oil/use butter. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, honey, and eggs until well-blended.
3. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and rosemary. **Tip: If you coat the wet blueberries with this dry mix, it will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan during the bake**
4. Add soy milk, vanilla, and orange extract to the egg mixture, alternating with the flour mixture.
5. Fold in blueberries and almonds gently =)

Next, spoon batter into the pans. Although I didn't, I would recommend sprinkling oats on top of the muffins; Healthy and visually appealing! 

Bake for 25 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown.

Do NOT - I repeat, do not, forget 

about these while they are baking.

 I had the unfortunate experience of forgetting about the muffins while they were baking, and had to deal with a smoky apartment and noisy fire alarm.

I had to take the pan outside because my apartment was a smoky, smelly mess.

But I must say that it may not have been entirely my fault - I received a phone call from a charming, handsome gentleman right when I put the muffins in the oven. Needless to say,  I was distracted and lost track of time. Using a 30-year old mini stove probably didn't help the situation much either. Or my general forgetfulness.

Alas, I had to re-make the batter which included a trip to Kroger for more blueberries. The second time around, they turned out much better.

In conclusion, I think the recipe itself is solid, but you may want to play around with the ingredients and temperature a bit. My second batch was still a bit dark on the bottom of the pan - although this could be a result of the type of pan I was using.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Hasta luego Camaradas!
<3 Meg