As a boy mom, I watched the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce interview and I thought: “Please find someone as smart and patient as Taylor is with Travis.” As a girl mom, I thought “Please find someone who looks at you the way Travis looks at Taylor.” If that wasn’t the cutest interview you’ve ever seen, then your heart must be a cold, dead rock. It was objectively adorable.

And inspiring. Taylor makes bread? Bread is time consuming. Bread is hard. My cousin makes some of the best bread I’ve ever had and I happen to know she spent YEARS working on her bread. If you live on Vashon, you’ve probably had her bread. I do not have the patience for bread.

But the thought of Lemon Blueberry was the spark I needed to level up my muffins right at the exact moment that blueberries are ready in the Pacific Northwest. Our here, blueberries are big. Like the size of a dime. I know I’ve had the back east variety and they are tiny little blueberries. This recipe works great with either version - but if you’re in the Northwest, like me, then go with more blueberries vs less. The big ones take up more room in the measuring cup - and then they also don’t distribute in the muffins easily. If you measure and add exactly 1/2 cup of our giant blueberries, you could end up with one berry per muffin. Be generous. Use 1/2 cup as a guideline.

Dying to know if I’m the only obsessive lady loving the Taylor/Travis relationship? I’m clearly not alone because the stream has like a bazillion views. But is everyone else not admitting it? Bake a muffin, watch the interview and get back to me.

Blueberry Lemon Streusel Muffins

makes 12

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1/2 lemon (1 heaping teaspoon)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)

1/2 cup blueberries

TOPPING

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl (or measuring glass) whip together the oil, egg, milk, vanilla, and zest.

STEP 2

In a large bowl combine together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour in half of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Then add the yogurt and blend together. Pour the last of the milk mixture and stir until combined. Add the blueberries.

Don’t over stir. The mixture will be a little lumpy, it’s fine.

STEP 3

In a food processor or a bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until it’s sandy. I just use a fork.

STEP 4

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way and top each one with the topping mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

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I make these muffins all the time. They are super simple and a fan favorite. They are literally the perfect muffin. We often have a big crowd at the beach over the summer and a dozen muffins fills a hole at breakfast. They are also great for menu planning for the week!

I started making these with berries that I had around. Then it turned to fall and I tried it with apples and cinnamon - totally worked great. So I kept trying all of the other fruits that I had on hand. It totally works every time. You cannot go wrong with these muffins! I gave some ideas for mix ins at the bottom so you can see what all of your options are!

Options:

• Apples + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• Blueberries + 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• Strawberries

• Clear out the fridge of all different berries

• Raspberries

• Blackberries + 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Any Fruit Muffin

makes one dozen

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped fruit

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 tablespoons big chunky sugar of your choice

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the muffin tins. Combine together the flour, sugar and baking powder.

STEP 2

Whisk together the egg, oil, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture. Then fold in the yogurt.

STEP 3

Add the fruit and carefully stir in. Scoop evenly into the muffin tins.

STEP 4

Sprinkle the top with the crusty sugar of your choice and bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Mr Hedin and I went on an anniversary trip a few years ago to a darling little mountain town where the winter is filled with cross country skiing and the summer is full of hiking. We went in April. There was neither snow nor warmth. It was not the best time to go to say the least. The highlight of the trip was the food. It was really our only great takeaway. And there was a hilarious interaction at the bar between a couple sitting across from us who clearly didn’t like each other - but loved their cans of beer. (The restaurant was fancy - not a “canned beer” kind of place)

These muffins were the star of breakfast. I try to eat something healthy for breakfast and these have fit the bill. They aren’t “health food” but they are a healthier option than almost anything else.

Good Morning Muffins

Makes 18

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 shredded carrots (about 1 cup)

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup flaked coconut

½ cup apple, shredded

3 eggs

½ cup coconut oil

1 8oz can crushed pineapple

2 teaspoons vanilla

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 12 liners (or two with 18 total).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients.

STEP 2

Add to the dry ingredients the shredded carrots, raisins, walnuts, coconut and grated apple.  Mix gently to coat the dry ingredients over everything.

STEP 3

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, coconut oil, pineapple (including the juice) and vanilla.

STEP 4

Gently pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.  Don’t over mix!

STEP 5

Bake muffins in lined muffin tin for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Store in an air tight container for up to one week. These freeze well too - especially for meal prep.

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Every year for my kids birthdays I make a coffee cake. A few years ago I started making a smaller and smaller cakes because my kids eat one slice and then they are done. Then I moved on to muffin sized coffee cakes and suddenly we can eat the entire batch!

These are perfect for a brunch, a weekday breakfast, or just for a snack. They cook super fast too - so you can whip them up anytime! I promise once you bite into these, you will never stop making these muffins. They are epic.

Coffee Cake Muffins

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or sour cream)

topping

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl (or measuring glass) whip together the oil, egg, milk and vanilla.

STEP 2

In a large bowl combine together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour in half of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Then add the yogurt and blend together. Pour the last of the milk mixture and stir until combined. Don’t over stir. The mixture will be lumpy, it’s fine.

STEP 3

In a food processor or a bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until it’s sandy. I just use a fork or my fingers.

STEP 4

Fill muffin tins about 1/2 way and top each one with the topping mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

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Need a brunch cocktail?