OK, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I am not a muffin lover. But, and isn’t there always a but, these muffins are delicious. My friend Peggy described them as having a consistency reminiscent of angel food cake, but not quite as soft. And the nice little crunch provided by the sprinkling sugar just adds to the overall appeal. And blueberries, who doesn’t love blueberries? One of those guilty pleasures that is actually really, really good for you. Did I mention that these babies are really, really tasty?

Now the original recipe I found on Mel’s Kitchen website did not call for GF flour. But my friend Marsha, who suffers from celiac disease, turned me on to Cup4Cup, her favorite GF flour. She uses it in place of regular flour with amazing results. So I decided for my JazzVox brunch yesterday, I would give Cup4Cup a go in this recipe. And of course what usually happens when I think I am doing the right thing like offering up a GF dish, I read the very next day that I am playing into the hands of people who may be harming themselves by adopting a GF lifestyle. (I really can’t win!) 

According to Peter Green, MD, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, “The gluten-free diet is a trendy diet. It will save someone’s life if they have celiac disease, but its role in the general public is nonexistent. Many people who go on a gluten-free diet do so for “bogus reasons.”

So now what do I do? Throw the muffins out as not to pander to someone’s uninformed idea of what is good for them? Or do I simply serve the muffins knowing that they are delicious and who the heck cares anyway if they are made from something other than wheat flour? I tell you – it ain’t easy keeping up with everyone’s food allergies, likes and dislikes, vegetarianism, veganism, etc. etc. It’s like checking out alternate facts! What the heck is an alternate fact anyway? Isn’t a fact a fact? Has the dictionary definition (a thing that is indisputable) changed over the last 3 weeks? Should I start preparing alternate recipes in case we happen to find ourselves in an alternate universe? A universe without basil, for example. (God forbid!)  

Anyway, the thing to know is that these muffins are wonderful. They are easy to prepare, and regardless of whether or not you use GF flour or “the real thing”, you are going to be very happy with me for turning you on to this recipe. Enjoy the muffins my friends and thank you Mel for this amazing recipe.

• 8 oz. (1 pkg.) cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ c. granulated sugar
• 2 lg. eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. Cup4Cup GF flour (or your favorite GF flour or if necessary, regular unbleached flour)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. fine sea salt  
• ½ c. buttermilk
• 2 c. fresh blueberries
• sprinkling sugar, opt.

Cream the cream cheese, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk; mix until well-combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the cream cheese mixture and mix just until combined. Do not over-mix. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Using a medium sized ice cream scoop, plop dough into 2 – 12 cup paper lined muffin tins. Top each muffin with a light sprinkling of sprinkling sugar. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 14-16 minutes or until the tops spring back lightly to the touch and the bottoms are a nice golden brown. Don’t overbake.  

Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a covered container at room temp. or in the refrigerator for several days.

Thanks to the Mel’s Kitchen website for this delicious recipe. Makes 24 muffins.