Wild Blueberry Spelt Muffins

 I remember going camping and packing in a blueberry muffin mix that had a little tin of tiny wild blueberries in it.  Always turned the muffins purple, but were they good or what!  At least I remember them being a treat.  We did have special treats just for hike-in camping that were not usually available in our house.  And sure, almost everything tastes better when you've hiked up the side of a mountain with a heavy pack.  Almost.  I do have memories of a particularly rainy night: we had a dried box mix of something pasta-like and it was so miserable outside that dad set up the little camp burner just inside the tent and tried to make it a one pot meal instead of the steps it called for on the box.  Well, that stuff grew.  And grew.  We added some more water.  And it gelled and grew some more.  We choked down a few bites.  That pot of glutinous muck  was dubbed "The Wad."  Thirty odd years later, it is still a memorable meal.  We left the pot outside a marmot hole that night.  It was actually gone in the morning, hope the little guy didn't suffer too much.  ☺ 

Anyway, I recently found wild blueberries in the frozen section and had a nostalgic craving for some soft, moist blueberry muffins.  I don't think my girls have ever had blueberry muffins.  Blueberries, fresh or frozen, usually do not last long enough to get baked into something.  (Frozen blueberries are one of their favorite treats and I did have to go back and get some more before I could make these.)  This is a pretty standard muffin recipe, adapted to work with spelt flour and more healthful coconut oil.  If your blueberries are frozen, the cold will stiffen up the batter a bit as the oil starts to solidify.  They will still bake up fine.  Fresh blueberries won't turn your batter purple.  ;)  You can make them with or without your favorite streusel topping.  I had some left in the freezer from my peach buttermilk muffins and used a bit of that.  The girls seem to prefer them plain though, so that is how I will make them from now on.

Wild Blueberry Spelt Muffins, Egg free option
makes 1 dozen

1/3 cup melted coconut oil (refined will not have coconut flavor)
1 cup buttermilk, room temp
1 egg, room temp (to make these egg free, substitute ¼ cup applesauce plus ½ tsp more baking powder)
1¾ cups light spelt flour
2/3 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp inulin (optional for added fiber)
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup wild blueberries, fresh or frozen, tossed with a tsp flour

Preheat oven to 400º.  Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and inulin if using, in a medium bowl.  Mix the oil, buttermilk and egg together lightly in a 2 cup liquid measure.  Just combine the buttermilk and flour mixtures in the bowl.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  Scoop into muffin papers with a muffin scoop.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown on top.  (Frozen berries will take the longer time.)  Cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove to rack to finish cooling.  These muffins freeze well.