usually when stressed you can find me in a mess of dirty dishes and baked goods. there's something about the precision & predictability of baking that perfectly combats life's hectic nature- you follow the recipe, measure with care, and simply wait.  you're pretty much guaranteed that something soft/sugary/chocolatey/gooey/delicious will result, one of the few things in life you can bank on. 

the sample sale at work last week was keeping me both incredibly busy and well-dressed, and while there was minimal stress, i needed a little thinking time when i finally made my way back home at night. so last wednesday i braved the frightening territory that is a new york city kitchen and attempted blueberry muffins.  it wasn't until midway through that i really started to appreciate my mom's kitchen, complete with an electric mixer, measuring cups, and breathing room. 

the finished product? well they turned out just fine, and by that i mean they looked like shit but tasted pretty good. from now on i think my stress relief will have to come from a combo of champagne and crumbs bakeshop cupcakes, which doesn't sound like too bad of a switch.

Blueberry Muffins

1 stick Unsalted Butter at room temp.

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. Sugar

2 large Eggs

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

½ tsp. finely grated Lemon Zest

1¾ c. all-purpose Flour

¼ c. finely ground Yellow Cornmeal

¼ tsp. Salt

⅛ tsp. Cinnamon

½ c. Milk

2½ c. Fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease or line 12 muffin pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and 1 c. sugar in a larger bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add baking powder and mix well. Add vanilla and lemon zest to batter; mix well.

In another bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt and cinnamon. Add ½ of dry mixture to batter and mix lightly; add milk and stir well. Add remaining dry mix and stir just to combine-do not over mix! Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon into pans, then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake in center of oven until golden and toothpick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan, on rack for 15 minutes.