Fall.

It’s my favorite. It’s the beginning of getting back into routines, slowing down, and gathering together with friends and family. It’s the cozy season. Which I think is the best season.

The weather only requires a sweater, a small fire to sit next to, and hot cup of tea or coffee. Sometimes I like to sit next to a fire alone, deep in my own thoughts as I watch the flames dance around the wood as it burns. More often I love having others to share a fire with and hear about the things they are thinking about.

Gatherings are when I get to set a table and make food to share. The great thing about living on the ranch is there’s no hard and fast rules of what to eat and when. The only unspoken rule is everyone gets up early, which means everyone goes to bed early. Timing is the only parameters in planning get togethers.

These muffins are simple and quick to pull together. Whether it’s a morning ranch breakfast with other ranchers, or an evening meal of shared soups and stews. They are quick, easy and delicious; and when you double them, you have enough to share with a small crowd.

I have friends who will cut them in half, set it into a cast iron pan to toast on both sides over the fire for a hot minute, then lather it in butter. Mm mm.

Note: Both sour cream and buttermilk is used in the recipe.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of fine sea salt

1 ½ cups of granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups of buttermilk at room temperature

1 cup of melted quality butter—cooled to room temperature

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste or extract

1 2/3 cups of frozen or fresh blueberries

1/8 cup of granulated sugar (for the topping)

½ lemon zested (for the topping)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with six liners, Or oil six of the muffin pans. (You want to bake in two batches as you’ll be filling the cups very full to get a nice muffin top like you get in the bakeries).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, eggs, sourcream and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dried, just until combined.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin/liners, very full, to the top.

Rub the lemon zest into the sugar well and then sprinkle on top each muffin.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 without opening the oven door.

Then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, open the door to rotate the pan, and bake for ten to 15 minutes more.

Pull out when the tops start to become golden brown but still slightly soft when you touch them.

Let them cool in pan for five minutes before taking them out of the pan to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

I double these when cooking for a crowd.

Enjoy!

Fall

The Greatest Rebellion