I found blueberries for $3/pound last week, so I actually felt like I could buy enough to do something more than sprinkle a few in my oatmeal.  Cherries were cheap too, so I modified my grandmother Meme’s blueberry muffin recipe to include some cherries too. I was hoping they’d look kind of belatedly patriotic, but actually the cherries turn darker and the blueberries turn purple when cooked, so you really can’t see the difference.

Isn’t it wonderful what happens to blueberries when they bake?  I love the way they sort of explode and seem even juicier than when you pop them in your mouth raw.  I didn’t have any lemons so I added some lemon extract, otherwise I would’ve just used lemon zest.  I like the almond flavor with the cherries and blueberries, but you could also just use vanilla.

Blueberry-Cherry Muffins

This makes a small batch of just a dozen muffins.

1/2 c butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t lemon extract
1/2 t almond extract
2 c flour
1 t salt
1 3/4 t baking powder
2/3 c milk
1 c blueberries
1/3 c cherries, cut into small pieces (about the same size as the blueberries)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and extracts.

Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder). Stir into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, for a total of 3 additions of flour and 2 additions of milk (ending with the flour). Stir in the blueberries and cherries.

Grease and flour one muffin pan. Fill the cups about 2/3 full with the batter. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool for a few minutes on a rack before unmolding.