Have you ever created a recipe in your sleep? That’s exactly what happened to me the other night, as I struggled to remain asleep while adjusting to the time zone change after returning from Italy. As I tossed and turned, I was worrying over getting some new recipes posted before my surgery (I’m getting a brand new knee today!), and thinking about the olive oils I had purchased on my trip. What I consider a miracle is that I still remembered this when I woke up the next morning, so I figured that was a sign that I should make these right away.Whenever I return from a trip, I’m a bit fixated for awhile on the dishes I enjoyed on my trip, the ingredients used, or the ways I might recreate some of those tastes at home. On this trip, I had enjoyed tasting this delicious lemon infused extra virgin olive oil from the Sabina Hills, and I felt I needed to make something with it.I also happened to have returned to exceptionally warm Colorado weather and my herbs, including this lovely thyme, were just bursting over the tiny fence I use to keep my dog out.Being not much of a baker, I rely on other recipes I’ve done before – other muffins or quick breads – to get the ratio of flour, leavening, liquids and fats correct in a recipe, then add in the special things I want. Lemon and thyme go great together, as do lemon and blueberries, so I figured the three of them would be happy together in this little muffin.Turns out I was right about that. I also found that getting ready to go in for surgery, knowing your activities will be limited coming out the back end, is a bit like nesting before having a baby.So putting a dozen or more of these muffins away into the freezer to keep me happy while recuperating just seemed like the right thing to do. I won’t be back in the kitchen for a bit, but not to worry – I’ll be sharing some of the recipes from my trip to Italy with you over the next couple of weeks, along with a couple of other things I’ve already made and posted. In the meantime, make these muffins. They are really good!
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup whole oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1-2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- ½ cup lemon infused extra virgin olive oil (see note)
- ¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries (1 small container)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners and spray insides with baking spray. Stir together the flour, whole what flour, baking soda, baking powder, and thyme; set aside.
- Beat eggs lightly in a medium bowl and add butter, oil, yogurt and sugar; stir until well combined. Pour into flour mixture and mix with a spoon until just combined, then gently stir in blueberries.
- Scoop into muffin liners and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.