I’m not a football fan, pretty much at all. But my parents love it; my dad even played it in high school and college. Their intense passion has thankfully mellowed over the years, but football is there jam.
So even as a youngster, I had to find ways to accept and relate to it. I quickly discovered there’s a lot more to the sport than just throwing and catching a ball. The people behind the game, in every aspect, are much more interesting than the game itself, if you ask me.
I began watching the local news pregame back in Detroit when I was in middle school. I quickly liked all the personalities, as I did when I watched the news. Yeah, I was that kid, but that’s probably not super surprising. I watched that pregame before every single Detroit Lions game, including the day we left Michigan for our new home in Florida. I do kind of miss it and the people on it.
Luckily, the national Fox pregame is still on in Orlando. Though some faces have changed over the years, I love watching them, and hearing the stories and interviews about players.
If you have ever watched American Idol or Chopped or any other reality show, you know, pretty much everyone has a story of some kind. It’s the story behind the singer or chef or football player that makes the substance of what they do that much more interesting.
And to this day that is what keeps me interested in football. The people. And okay, the RedZone. The NFL knows what’s up with that for sure.
Sometimes good food speaks for itself and these double blueberry muffins pretty much do. Take normal blueberry muffins, which are already pretty awesome, and add homemade blueberry jam for a treat that is good any time, even while watching football.
PrintDouble Blueberry Muffins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Classic blueberry muffins amped up with homemade blueberry jam.
Ingredients
4 cups blueberries, divided
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup maple sugar
2 ½ cups paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca starch, ¾ cup coconut flour)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
½ cup olive oil
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or oil it very, very well.
Make the jam. In a small saucepan, stir together 2 cups blueberries, syrup, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook stirring frequently until the berries burst and the juices thicken. Pour into a bowl and cool while you make the muffins.
In a large bowl stir together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in half the flour, followed by half the milk. Stir in the remaining flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Finish the batter with the milk, and finally the remaining 2 cups of blueberries.
Fill the muffin cups half way full, top with one teaspoon of blueberry jam, and then fill with remaining batter. Finish by topping each muffin with another teaspoon of jam and bake about 18 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Serve warm or cool completely in the pan. Muffins may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave about 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Love muffins! And blueberry are the best of the best. Terrific recipe — thanks.
Laura says
It definitely doesn’t get better than blueberry muffins, John!
Debbie Eccard says
I love anything made with blueberries and muffins are a perfect way to use them. And I love football!
★★★★★
Laura says
Blueberries, muffins, and football sound like a pretty winning combo to me too 🙂