Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Blueberry Dishwasher Muffins

Don't Blink....

Blueberry Dishwasher Muffins
Yes, you really are seeing blueberry muffins in a dishwasher. See, I mentioned in my last post that I've been spending time in DC. I suppose what I didn't explain is that I'm visiting DC while hubby is working here for the summer and subletting a studio apartment from a college student...

Now, think back on your college days. I don't know about you, but my most sophisticated kitchen tool in college was probably the hand held mixer my mom told me I'd absolutely need one day. She received the mixer as a gift when she got married. Not to date my lovely mom, but that was a long time ago. That thing was ancient.

Blueberry Muffins
Now, just imagine the tools I'm dealing with in this college kitchen. Living here has been quite the adventure. There are no mixing bowls, 1-2 pots, no baking dishes (except for a crusty muffin pan), and not even an ancient hand held mixer in sight. I've become creative as of late, using a huge stock pot to mix the dry ingredients and Tupperware to mix the wet ingredients for these muffins.

Of course, when it came time to cooling the muffins, I improvised and used the dishwasher racks. Don't worry, they were clean. Blueberry Muffins
In any case, I made two batches of muffins: one using sour cream, the other using a mixture of sour cream and blueberry yogurt and a spritz of lemon zest. I also experimented with adding a brown sugar cinnamon streusel to the tops of some. The verdict in this 2-people-living-in-a stuido-with-no-kitchen-tools household? The blueberry yogurt & sour cream muffins with streusel topping were the best. They also came out a bit darker than the ones pictured above.

Blueberry Muffins
Oh, and if you were wondering. I caved. It may be too hot to cook, but its never too hot for blueberry muffins. Living in a studio will remind you to use the oven sparingly, though.

For those of you slumming it like me, this recipe requires no ancient hand mixer. Lucky you!

Best Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
3/4 cup sour cream
6 oz container of blueberry yogurt
1 1/4 cups blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl (or huge stock pot if you have to!) until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl (aka Tupperware) until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick; add melted butter in batches, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream and yogurt in batches, whisking just until combined. Stir in lemon zest.

3. Add blueberries to dry ingredients and gently toss to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick). Do not overmix.

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes.

Runner up Blueberry Muffins
source: He who must not be named.

If you are curious, read a little more here.

Check out the Weekend Breakfast Blogging Roundup at Monsoon Spice featuring summer fruits & veggies!
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37 comments:

Mama Mia said...

hahah, I thought that you baked those muffins in your dishwasher for a second... after I read on I realized that you used it as a cooling rack. phew!

Laura said...

I have been craving blueberry baked goods like crazy lately and I cannot find any blueberries! These look awesome--exactly what I want right now. *SIGH*

I also thought you used the dishwasher to cook in and was really baffled!

Julia Goolia said...

I agree with the other girls, I am so dense sometimes. I was like, "Okay---Sharon is a freaking genius! Now only if I had a dishwasher..."
:)

La Bella Cooks said...

That was a great move to use the racks for cooling. Now, if you still had dishes in there then I would have questioned your decision just slightly ;) In college, my brother and his friends did laundry in their dishwasher. I laughed so hard when I visited them and saw it.

It is never too hot to bake something you love! The blueberry muffins look delicious.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Cooling the muffins in the dishwasher is brilliant!! Gives the appliance extra use :0)

Anonymous said...

That's genius! And it's probably the cleanest place in the apartment (next to the regular washer...actually, come to think, I've seen Alton Brown put greens in the washer...you could try that next!).

Anonymous said...

I think you have become the most creative person ever!

grace said...

it's never too hot for blueberry muffins.
meanwhile, kudos to you for having such a terrific attitude toward your living situation! i rarely use my dishwasher, so it's good to find a different use for it. :)

kat said...

I too thought for a minute you used some heat dry setting on the dishwasher to cook!

Elle said...

Good for you for getting so creative! You had me for a sec, though, thinking you cooked them in there, hehe. They look delicious! I love muffins!

Mo said...

That is the most clever idea I've ever heard. You should submit that to Cook's Illustrated, or Cooking Light.

BTW, the muffins look delicious.

I bet you can find some good Vietnamese food in DC. Lucky you! :)

Sharon said...

Sorry to be such a tease! If I had 'baked' these in the dishwasher, I'd truly be extraordinary, huh?

laura - In San Diego I could never find any blueberries that weren't ridiculously $$. I guess they're cheaper out here!

julia - you can call me a genius anytime you like. :)

bridgett - laundry in the dishwasher...hmm, I guess you could save quarters that way! Too funny.

veggiegirl - I agree, that's a great way to look at it.

paninikathy - Did he use them to wash the greens or dry them? With Alton, nothing really surprises me.

eatingclub & noble pig - thanks! :)

grace - I'm not sure if I could live without my dishwasher. It was only by a stroke of luck that I had just emptied it out. Otherwise, those muffins would've cooled in their tins.

kat - I'm trying that next ;)

elle - I thought I was creative by using the stock pot as a mixing bowl, until I realized there were no wire cooling racks!

mo - Our first dinner here was actually at a Vietnamese restaurant...too funny!

Anonymous said...

that's so funny! they look yummy though. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for coming by! I've been following your blog for awhile now - it attract me b/c I'm also a newlywed and really started cooking after I got married. Also love your pics and recipes.

And now all of a sudden, I'm remembering my own college studio and how I would try to cook in there - there was only enough room for 1 person and there was 1 ft x 1 ft of counter space. The whole apt itself was only 350 square feet! Now I feel so spoiled. :)

Clumbsy Cookie said...

This was funny! The muffins look great and your creativity is genius!

Leslie said...

Ok thats funny..I guess we made due with what we have!
Yes..thank goodness no twitching here!!! LOL

MrOrph said...

Uh huh...slick huh? You know you wanted us to believe that you pulled some kind of Alton Brown, McGuyver, kinda dishwasher, drying cycle, muffin making magic, didn't you?

Well, that's immediately what I thought! :-)

I love some blueberry muffins and as far as I know, they are good for you.

Y said...

YOu had me there for a second. I couldn't imagine how you could've baked muffins in a dishwasher! :D Great idea using it as a cooling rack though, especially when in a pinch!

krysta said...

I thought you cooked them in the dishwasher! I wasn't sure how you did it but I thought you had some crazy way.

test it comm said...

Those blueberry muffins look great!

Anonymous said...

ROFL - I thought you figured out a way to bake muffins in the dishwasher.
Genius use of the top rack, my dear.

Prudy said...

I love that you baked two kinds and gave us the results. That kind of comparison speaks to me. I'm dying to try your best muffin now. Kudos for your resourcefullness!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

They look great! Especially since you are living in a "college" apt and little to work with. I remeber those days...making all kinds of food in a hot pot :)

Jenny said...

I love this post! How creative to use the dishwasher as a cooling rack! Your muffins look so yummy!!

LucyinStLou said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! The dishwasher cooling rack is such a smart idea. It's the sort of thing I wish I had thought of, but never in a million years would.

Scrapifieds said...

I love how you adapted! Makes me very grateful for my stocked kitchen!

Emily said...

I'm crazy about blueberry muffins! Yours look great.
I love the idea of using your dishwasher racks to cool them. I would have never thought of that!

Sophie said...

Ack! I remember my college days because I just finished 'em off last year! Oh man, and I am about to move into an apartment with an even smaller kitchen in Boston :P. The dishwasher thing is a great idea, I'll definitely have to keep it in mind :).

Anonymous said...

as a student, i lost all my posh handmixers and resorted to wooden spoons. ;) these look fantastic! i do crave a muffin.

Anonymous said...

Thinking back to my college days and what was available to me kitchen-wise... well, let's just say that your situation is better than mine was! Sad huh?

I must say I'm impressed by your perseverance and ingenuity. Using the dishwasher rack to cool muffins - genius!

Ari (Baking and Books)

Anonymous said...

How inventive! Good luck making use of your space... you're doing great.

Stephanie said...

That's so funny! I'd say that cooling food in the dishwasher is something I have to try, but I don't even have a dishwasher. So at least you're not TOTALLY slumming it, just mostly! :-)

My Sweet & Saucy said...

Your photos are too funny! I have had to improvise many times too!

Mark Brooke Photographers said...

very interesting post :) I love the photos! and ummmmm i want some muffins. -candice

Fifi Flowers said...

those look delicious! good cooling idea!
your cake in the header is beautiful... from your wedding?

Sharon said...

Yes, that's our wedding cake! :)

Carrie said...

I have to say, it's this photo that hooked me! I just found your blog today during my lunch hour, but this photo has convinced me to come back for future updates. That neat row of muffins cooling themselves in an open dishwasher absolutely cracked me up. Very resourceful! :-)