moist chocolate muffins... with wild blueberries

this recipe was suggested by nine year old cecelia who loves to bake. she substituted half the chocolate chips with wild blueberries she picked herself in her forest garden.  hearing the rave reviews we had to try them for ourselves.  so, with our own just picked wild blueberries, we did just that.  well, actually, kai did the baking :-)

and the verdict?  the muffins were incredibly good, so delicious, and addictive... something about the blueberries and chocolate works perfectly. 

what you will need

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup chocolate chips (remember use half chocolate chips and half blueberries)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

what to do

preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

combine flour, sugar, 3/4 cup chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  whisk egg, yogurt, milk and vegetable oil in another bowl until smooth; pour into chocolate mixture and stir until batter is just blended.  fill prepared muffin cups 2/4 full and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

i want everyone to try these muffins.  i'll be back here mid-august and i want to know if you loved them as much as we did.

summer fun in a forest garden

we've had summer fun thus far right in our own 'backyard'... picnic with a view at ivar los park, playing cards at the woodstockholm cafe while enjoying iced chai, playing soccer at a nearby field, swimming in långholmen, hanging out in the courtyard, sleeping in, and eating our weight in local strawberries to name a few... but sometimes someone else's backyard - literally - is just as fun.  

ximena and petter's new home has a forest garden!  we love it there, hanging out in their garden picking wild blueberries, meandering down the cliff side for a swim in the freezing ocean (well, meandering for some and sliding down on my bottom for me... it was steep!), enjoying a home-cooked meal with homegrown veggies - this time it was a most delicious pizza fest -  drinking wine, and dessert made by a nine year old that was so so good.  thank you ximena and petter for having us over and over and over again.  we love it!

kai came to help his mama down the mountain... i was slow!

threading wild blueberries

cecelia and i had a fun shooting each other

tomorrow i share a chocolate and wild blueberry muffin recipe... made with blueberries collected in this lovely forest garden.

chasing vikings

chasing vikings with kai and his friend axel.  after a two hour boat ride you arrive at birka on the island of bjorko.  during the viking times birka was the central hub and most important marketplace - who know vikings were farmers and craftspeople.  it has been put on the unesco list of world heritage sites - ancient remains have been excavated and studied and birka is surrounded by the largest viking-age cemetery in scandinavia.

although i could appreciate its history, i found birka a bit underwhelming as there wasn't much to see except take a guided tour, visit the museum, and wander the very small re-created village. the boys did love the archery and i settled on meandering down the paths.  if nothing else, it is a peaceful place.