Pat Collins' Maine Blueberry Muffins

Good things come out of all regions of our state, but this recipe comes to us all the way from the beautiful northern city of Caribou. Senator Susan Collins submitted this recipe, which she credits as her mother's recipe, from a family cookbook entitled "Fifty Years of Cooking: 1948-1998." 

Well, Senator Collins, if you are reading this blog, hats off to your mother's recipe, it's a keeper! Senator Collins writes in the description for the recipe (p.17): "I started making muffins for my husband almost every Sunday night a few years ago. It made me feel that I was doing something special for him to compensate for the many times that one or both of us had evening events that precluded our having dinner together." I hear you, Senator Collins. I'm a pastor, with evening meetings, so I understand how you have to find times/ways to connect with your spouse that are special. And these muffins fit the bill!

I taste tested these muffins on my husband this morning, who conveniently arrives in the kitchen just as I'm pulling them out of the oven...I'm sure the smell of blueberry muffins wafted up the back stairs to his home office/lab and enticed him down.

The exterior of the muffin browned perfectly, leaving a slightly crisp exterior, and a moist, berry-filled interior. Not too sweet, which we like. Don't want those wild Maine blueberries to be overwhelmed by sugar, for they have a natural sweetness all their own. I've actually been waiting to try this recipe, wanting to have wild blueberries fresh, not frozen, for a treat. The harvest has begun and the berries are in the stores! Sooo happy to enjoy my favorite fruit in the form of a muffin.

I'm not at liberty to share exactly how many muffins my husband consumed in one sitting, but I'd say that multiple muffins consumed is a yes vote for this recipe. I expect this will become our go-to recipe, as long as we live in wild blueberry country (which we pray, God-willing, is for years to come).

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