Recipe Corner: Berry Muffins

Darr picked fresh blackberries this morning so I had to bake muffins. We've made this recipe a bunch of times with a variety of berries (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries) and it is always tasty. You can find this recipe and a bunch of other wonderful and fairly easy to prepare dishes in the cookbook Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family from Oprah's chef Art Smith.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups fresh berries

Directions:
Center the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter muffin pan.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the milk, vegetable oil, and eggs in a bowl and pour into the well. Stir until blended, batter will be lumpy. Gently fold in the berries. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup three-fourths full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, approximately 15-20 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and serve warm or cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12-24 muffins depending on muffin pan size