Blueberry Cornmeal Coffee Cake

Happy September! Along with spending an afternoon in the park, having fun at the Oregon State Fair, and going on an awesome bike ride with my main squeeze and some friends, I took full advantage of baking this past Labor Day weekend. Because it's technically still summer, I'm not ready to break out my fall treats just yet (believe me...I've got a lot since Fall is my favorite season!). So, because I'm (as well as the weather) still in summer mode, I decided to make a coffee cake that is jam-packed with the ever popular blueberries that has just a hint of lemon to celebrate these last few weeks of summer.

What You Need

Cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups fresh blueberries

Topping
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan.

2. Whisk together the flour (1cup), cornmeal (1/2cup), baking powder (2tsp), and salt (1/2tsp) in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix the butter (1stick) and sugar (1cup) until fluffy. Beat in the eggs (2) one at a time, then add the vanilla (1/4tsp) and lemon zest (1/4tsp).

4. Add a third of the flour mixture, all of the sour cream (1/3cup), and another third of the flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition. Mix the remaining flour mixture with the blueberries, and then gently fold the blueberry-flour mixture into the batter.

5. For the topping, combine all of the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, and salt in a small-sized bowl. Mash in the butter with a fork.

6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly on top.

7. Bake the cake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely. Then, cut yo' self a piece and enjoy!

Original recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Lemon Blueberry Scone Cookies

Yesterday was one of those rare occasions where I was able to make something unique without having to run to the grocery store for an ingredient or two. Hooray!

The weather in Portland has been phenomenal: 70s-80s for the past week! So to accompany these bright sunny days, I wanted to make something light and refreshing. I remember pinning Hot Polka Dot's Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies a long time ago, and figured that this would be a perfect spring snack!

I was also feeling a little adventurous the other night, so I omitted the cream cheese and an additional stick of butter. The cookies still came out fabulously, and they actually reminded me of scones. Hence they are now called 'Lemon Blueberry Scone Cookies'! Others would argue that it tastes like a muffin top, so maybe you can be the judge when you make them. Either way, they're yummy!

What You Need
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (1 large lemon)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup blueberries

What You Do

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together your butter (1/2cup) and sugar (1cup) until creamy. Then mix in the lemon zest, juice (3tbsp), and eggs (2) until blended together.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking soda (1/2tsp), baking powder (1/2tsp), salt (1tsp), and flower (3cups). Next, mix them in with your wet ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries (1cup) until they're well incorporated. Lastly, refrigerate dough for 15-30 minutes.

4. Take dough out of refrigerator and drop 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of dough onto your baking sheet. Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Take out, cool, and then enjoy!

A few extras:
-You can use frozen blueberries if you so choose
-The dough will be more 'cakey'
-These cookies are amazing. And you should make them.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread

The past 5 days have been spent visiting family and friends down in the Bay Area. It's been wonderful seeing my loved ones and getting to catch up with everyone!

Last night I made Blueberry Cream Cheese bread for my family. It's definitely a nice treat to have for the spring time, especially because the orange zest adds the citrus kick it needs!

What you need 

Filling
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon orange zest

Glaze
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon water

Bread
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cups sugar

What you do

**Before doing anything: preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease & flour a loaf pan!!**

Filling

1. Mix the cream cheese (8oz), sugar (1/2cup), flour (1tbsp), egg, and orange zest (1tbsp) until smooth. Set aside.

Glaze

1. Stir together the sugar (2tbsp), vanilla (1/2tsp), and water (1tsp). Set aside.

Bread and Assembling

1. In a small bowl, combine flour (1 1/2 cups) and baking powder (1tsp) Set aside.

2. In another bowl, cream butter (1/2 cup) and sugar (1/2 cup) until mixed. Add salt (1/4tsp) and vanilla (1tsp). Add egg yolks (2) and mix until combined.

3. Add half of the flour mixture into the wet batter and mix until slightly combined. Mix in the milk (1/3cup), and then mix in the rest of the flour mixture.

4. Coat berries with flour (1tbsp) and add them into the mixture.

5. In another separate bowl, beat egg whites (2) on high speed until soft peaks form. Then add in sugar (1/4cup) one tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form.

6. Using a spatula, fold in the egg whites mixture into the bread batter.

7. Pour half the bread batter into loaf pan, then the cream cheese mixture, and then the remaining bread batter. Pour the glaze over the unbaked bread and bake for 55-60 minutes (or until an inserted knife comes out clean).

8. When bread is done, take out of the oven and let it cool completely. 

To be honest, making this is slightly more challenging than other recipes I've done in the past. But it was well worth it, and I am very happy that my family is enjoying this tasty treat!

Extra tips:

- Feel free to use lemon zest instead of orange zest. Lemon and blueberries pair very well together.

- If you want to make the glaze a little more runny, add a tad bit more water and stir. 

-If using frozen berries, make sure you thaw them and then pat dry before adding in.

**Original recipe found at The Keenan Cookbook**