Fresh Blueberry Muffins with Easy Blueberry Jam and a Tangerine Sugar Topping

 During a recent visit with my Parents, one of their neighbors came over with a pail of organic blueberries she had just picked. They were so plump and sweet and couldn't have been any fresher.

My Mother, who is an amazing cook, said she had a recipe for the best blueberry muffins, but that they were a pain to make. I quickly told her I would make them for her.

The recipe was from a magazine and she was right, they were complicated to make, and they were super delicious. After the fact, I realized that the recipe was unnecessarily fussy and poorly written and organized. The recipe was entirely too wordy without giving a clear idea of where it was taking you.

Here, I have simplified the directions without changing the ingredients at all, by breaking down the steps into 3 different recipes. First make the 2 ingredient sugar topping. Second, make the 2 ingredient blueberry jam. Finally make the batter using the simple muffin concept of mixing wet ingredients in one bowl, dry in another and combining them. Lastly stir in blueberries.  The original recipe directions were all over the place and took too much jumping back and forth to follow.  I found that I kept reading the same lines over and over again, to find my place.  It was a pain.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins with Easy Blueberry Jam and a Tangerine Sugar Topping
Sugar, divided as follows: 1/3 cup for the topping, 1 tsp. for the jam,
   1 1/4 cup for the muffins
2 tsp. freshly grated tangerine zest (or use lemon zest)
2 cups fresh blueberries, divided

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Stir together the 1/3 cup of sugar with the tangerine zest. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup blueberries with 1 tsp. sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and mashing with a spoon, until the berries are broken down and the mixture is thickened. Cook for about 6 minutes until jam is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and position oven rack into the upper-middle position. Coat a standard size, 12 muffin pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lightly beaten eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla, until evenly mixed.

Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy; do not over mix. Stir in 1 cup blueberries.

Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups or slightly mounding. Top each muffin with about a teaspoon of the blueberry jam, pushing it into the muffin. Sprinkle with the tangerine sugar topping.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the tops are golden and just firm, rotating the pan halfway through baking time. Let cool, in pan, for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack for cool another few minutes before serving warm.