Right now, I’m writing because I’m supposed to be doing that. I’m not supposed to be gorging on blueberry muffins, which is what I was doing approximately 5 minutes ago. It’s also why I’m sitting here before this computer with a terrible tummy ache. But don’t worry. I’m fine. It’s not the kind of tummy trouble about which anyone should worry. The muffins were stupendous, but I have not quite mastered the art of moderation.  I’m in my thirties now so I’m not really sure when I’ll have it down, but I’ll let you know.

I suppose I can be moderate in other aspects of my life, but not when it comes to berries. They are too good and there is such a terrible berry shortage most of the year. I have to indulge now.  Unfortunately, my daughter seems to share my berry passion. I had no idea it was a hereditary trait, but I’m afraid it must be. Maeve has a serious berry problem. In particular, she is addicted to blueberries. On some days, she refuses all other foods. It’s sort of ridiculous and I should caution you against giving in to baby berry tantrums. Eating blueberries to the exclusion of other foods is not recommended for toddlers. My aching belly is nothing compared to the belly mayhem suffered by a tiny child following a heaping mass of blueberries.

Lesson learned. We are both attempting to adopt this new moderate approach. I use the term, “we” loosely, but Maeve is along for the ride.  It’s my job to fill her belly with a few other products that might be a bit easier on the digestive system. I figured blueberry muffins were the perfect way to walk this line. That being said, I didn’t want to feed her just any old muffin. Most blueberry muffins are bursting with sugar and loads of butter. And, while I cannot pretend to have true disdain for sugar and butter, I am doing my best to not pass on these other nasty proclivities to Maeve. She deserves better.

These flax blueberry muffins really hit the mark. They are sweetened with just a small amount of sugar, which is perfect. They’ve got a touch of flax too. It’s just enough healthy stuff to take them across the line from cakey morsels to hearty muffins. We love them around here. Although I admit I loved them a bit too much this morning, Maeve is thankfully eating only one a day. She appears to embrace moderation. We are all on the mend.

Oh, and did I mention the blueberry muffins are easy to make? They are!

Enjoy.

Blueberry Flax Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup ground flax meal
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 and ½ cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin tin; or line it with papers, and grease the papers.
Whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla and buttermilk and mix again.

Add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the batter is smooth. Fold in the berries by hand.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a heaping 1/4 cup for each; a muffin scoop works well here.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 12 muffins.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour