Be still, my blueberry-lovin' heart.
I went through
my pinterest for the first time in absolute ages (can't believe how much time I used to spend on that app!!) and spotted these babies, patiently waiting for me on my "
sweet tooth" board. I went to the supermarket the next day to grab anything I didn't have (though stick around, I totally forgot something), and used my MLK day off to bake them.
This was my first time making muffins ever, and they're the most delicious muffins I've ever eaten, hands down. Normally I eat the full top of a muffin and then nibble at the dry bottom, but these are too good not to eat the entire thing. The bottoms were moist and dense, the tops were crispy and sweet and gooey, and ugh. I can't rave about these enough.
Ingredients:
for the streusel topping
// 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
// 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
// pinch of salt
// 1/4 cup flour
// 2 1/2 tablespoons warm melted butter
for the muffins
// 2 cups blueberries
// 1 1/8 cup sugar
// 2 1/2 cups flour
// 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
// 1 teaspoon salt
// 2 large eggs
// 4 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
// 1/4 cup vegetable oil
// 3/4 cup yogurt (
I used strawberry banana because I forgot to buy plain, but loved the extra flavor. For pure blueberry bliss, go with blueberry yogurt, or to keep the spotlight on the fresh blueberries, go plain)
// 1/4 cup milk
// 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
1// Preheat oven to 425*F.
2// To make the streusel topping, mix the sugars, salt, and flour together, then slowly mix in the melted butter and combine all of the ingredients with a fork. Once it's lumpy and mixed, set it aside.
3// To make that delicious-looking blueberry swirl, add 1 cup of the blueberries with a teaspoon of sugar to a small pan and mix together (frequently) on medium heat for five minutes. Smoosh the blueberries as you go, and set aside to cool to room temperature once the mixture is thick and melty.
4// To make the muffins, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
5// In another bowl, combine the eggs and sugar until thick, then add in the oil, melted butter, milk, yogurt, and vanilla.
6// Fold the dry mix into the wet mix until mostly combined, then fold in the remaining cup of blueberries until you have a lumpy and thick batter.
7// Spoon the mixture into your muffin tin, filling the slots completely.
8// Add a teaspoon of the blueberry swirl mixture to the top of each, poking into the middle with a fork to let it seep into the middle of the muffin a bit.
9// Add the streusel topping to each muffin. Note: the topping will have gotten a bit dry while it was sitting, so use your fingers to crush and sprinkle it all over, but be sure to leave some chunks!
10// Bake for 16 minutes, and let cool before devouring.
Adapted from this recipe.
I saw a DIY on a blog ages ago that included a soda and mini bottle of alcohol, and the soda can was sitting in a mason jar. It was the cutest thing, and I thought that it would be such an adorable gift idea for a housewarming, or even just because.
I finally had a bunch of mini bottles lying around (stocking stuffers from my roommate), and some soda (my roommate's boyfriends' cans), so I decided to give putting them all together a whirl. However, even though we have 4,920 mason jars in this house — we drink out of small ones, we make salads in big ones — I couldn't fit a can in the opening of any of them (I'm not sure what type was used in the post I saw all those months back. I could swear it was a mason jar, but I can't find the freakin' post). So to improvise, I used initial mugs from Anthro, which actually worked perfectly because they're one of the most common gifts I give people (even though I make custom ones, these are too classic to overlook). 
Once you have the mug/mason jar/drinking receptacle ready to go, you can use twine like I did, or ribbon, to attach the mini bottles to the top. If I were actually giving these two as a gift, I would have slipped a tag into the knot with a little note, and probably would've wrapped them up in a clear gift bag with some confetti. It's a small gift, but it's a sweet idea for little occasions or just to have something so as not to show up empty-handed to a party. Friends, you may see one of these puppies in your near future (spoiler alert).
