Blueberry Muffins - How to make the best blueberry muffins ever!

Blueberry muffins are one of my favorite sweets ever, especially when they are big and moist.  Coincidentally, blueberry muffins were also an item on my co-workers baked goods sign up sheet.  Well, for as long as I have been baking, it has been one of my goals in life to find a moist muffin recipe.  Eureka!  I have found a super moist and yummy blueberry muffin recipe, so good that you won't be able to eat just 2 blueberry muffins!

Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or defrosted frozen
1 Tbs flour
3 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line muffin tin with paper liner and grease rims with butter (batter may overflow).
Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with yogurt.
Mash 1/2 cup blueberries and mix in.
Toss remaining blueberries with 1 Tbs. flour and fold in by hand.
Fill muffin cups to top.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool for 30 minutes.

Note: When I made these, I used a combination of fresh and frozen blueberries.

The blueberry muffin batter.

The lovely cupcake liners from http://www.bakeitpretty.com/

The lovely and oh soooo yummy finished blueberry muffins.



Coconut Cream Pie - A farewell Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut cream pie is something that I have never made before, but I am always up for a challenge-well most of the time.  It is common knowledge at my workplace of almost a year now that I love to bake.  So upon discovering this, a co-worker of mine decided to start a sign up sheet for other employees in our department to put their name and baked good they would like me to bake.  On a list of about 7 items, I think I have baked 2 of those items. So this past March, one of my favorite supervisors-who is a fellow watcher of TLC's Cake boss-got promoted and transferred to a new location.  To celebrate him and wish him well, I made him one of his favorite desserts, though not his requested life size replica of our workplace.  He had told me a while back that he loved coconut cream pie and so is born the farewell surprise pie.

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

3 cups half and half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, eggs, sugar, flour, and salt.  Bring to a boil over loww heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract.  Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.
Top with whipped topping, and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occassionally.