Happy July 4th! Strawberry Blueberry Muffins

Happy 4th of July!  Well in arriving back from Scotland it appears summer is in full force here in DC.  The days are hot and sunny and the nights are humid.  It's good to be back though, back in my bed, cooking in my kitchen, back to real life.  And today back in the Nation's capital for the 4th!

These muffins are my red, white and blue treat to celebrate.  I need to admit too that I normally for some reason am terrible at making muffins, but these are very easy!  The blueberries burst while baking and the strawberries become soft and sweet; they almost melt in your mouth.  The muffin itself is light and fluffy.  These muffins are best served warm out of the oven and I highly recommend them.  They really are delicious and I really did eat two of them for lunch.  Enjoy!

Strawberries and blueberries cleaned.

Dice the strawberries, then dust both the blueberries and strawberries with a tablespoon of the dry ingredients.

Wet and try ready to combine.

Lets just top these with a slice of strawberry and a blueberry...

and then into the oven.

Strawberry Blueberry Muffins: (recipe adapted from Damn Delicious)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup diced strawberries, 4 strawberries sliced for topping

1/2 cup blueberries

Zest from one lemon

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Place one tablespoon of dry ingredients aside.

3.  In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, sugar, egg and vanilla extract.

4.  Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.

5.  Add the extra tablespoon of dry ingredients and the lemon zest and toss with the strawberries and blueberries.  Then gently fold them into the batter.

6.  Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray.  Top with sliced strawberries, using your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.  Sprinkle with the extra sugar.

Place into oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.