Blueberry Muffins with Mascarpone

Preheat the oven to 200 °C/400 °F (180 °C convection oven). Carefully grease the cups of the muffin baking pan or line with paper cups.

If using fresh blueberries, set aside 12 pretty berries for decoration. Drain blueberries from jar well in a collender. Remove 2 TBS. of liquid for the decoration. Please do not thaw frozen berries! If using fresh or frozen berries, crush a few berries for garnish.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, rolled oats and blueberries.

In another large bowl, whisk egg lightly. Then add the sugar, vanilla sugar, butter or oil, sour cream and mascarpone and blend well. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the batter into the cups of the muffin baking pan. Bake in hot oven at 180 °C/350 °F (convection oven 160 °C) on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Let the muffins rest in the baking pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove and cool well on a cooling rack.

Mix the mascarpone with vanilla sugar, powdered sugar, possibly the if available, cream stabilizer, (in summer!) and juice or berries until smooth. Fill the cream into a piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzle and pipe it in a spiral onto the Muffins. Decorate with the remaining blueberries.

TIPS:

This batter is much firmer than other muffin doughs – but that’s okay. The berries give the batter the moisture it needs.

Recommended ingredients:

For the batter and decorations

1-1½ cups (250 g) blueberries
(Fresh, from a jar or frozen,
but not thawed)
1¾ cups (230 g) flour
2½ tsps. baking powder – ½ tsp. baking soda
¾ cup (60 g) fine rolled oats
1 egg – ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup (125 g) soft butter
or ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
½-¾ cup (200 g) sour cream
½ cup (100 g) mascarpone cream cheese

For the garnish

2 cups (400 g) mascarpone cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla extract – 3 TBS. powdered sugar
1 package cream stabilizer (if available)