Rediscovering forgotten ingredients: Blueberry-coconut muffins with a twist

What can I make with frozen blueberries? This was the question that went through my mind recently when I rummaged through my freezer while clearing it out for defrosting.

Embarrassingly, I’ve had a never-opened packet of frozen blueberries in my freezer for a year. So untouched were the blueberries that their packet had become buried and integrated into the freezer ice.

Tempting fate, I wondered if those frozen blueberries were still safe to eat after all this time. While frozen fruit can often last well beyond the printed expiration date, there’s always a lingering question about quality and safety. Would they still taste fresh, or had they turned into icy little capsules of disappointment and a home for bacteria?

Despite the risk, I decided to take the plunge. After all, wasting food feels worse than a little culinary gamble. I had to temper my expectations about the quality of the frozen berries after thawing — and rightly so. They lacked freshness and were lumpy and dull. So, I powered on to find a recipe to use the berries in. I settled on blueberry muffins.

This week’s recipe is inspired by rummaging through the kitchen and discovering neglected or never-used ingredients. In the spirit of these accidental finds, I came across a packet of unused fine desiccated coconut. It had been sitting idle in my pantry for nearly a year but was still safe for consumption.

It only made sense to make blueberry-coconut muffins.

Using frozen blueberries in baked goods is a fantastic way to breathe new life into fruit that may no longer be ideal for eating raw. Frozen or slightly thawed berries tend to release more juice as they thaw, which can add moisture and a burst of flavour to muffins, cakes, and breads. The addition of desiccated coconut not only complements the sweet-tart flavour of blueberries but also adds a delightful texture and subtle tropical aroma that elevates the humble muffin to something special.

If you’re unsure what to make with blueberries, I also highly recommend trying the Nova Scotia blueberry grunt recipe by my friend Ed Stoddard. He recently shared the recipe and mentioned how he prefers using freshly harvested berries from his late mother’s garden in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Read more: Nova Scotia blueberry grunt is a simple recipe for a sweet South African tooth

You don’t need freshly picked berries to enjoy Stoddard’s blueberry grunt — store-bought blueberries work just as well. I’ve enjoyed this recipe many times at Stoddard’s home, where he served it after a braai or potjie. It’s always a crowd-pleaser.

Back to my blueberry-coconut muffins. What I love most about these muffins is how incredibly easy and straightforward they are to make. With just a handful of common ingredients and simple steps, you can have a batch of delicious, moist muffins ready in no time.

(PS: If my muffins look a little “over” in the pictures, please cut me some slack. I was experimenting with different oven settings. Baking is as much about trial and error as it is about delicious results, and I’m still perfecting the timing. Despite their slightly browned appearance, they tasted wonderful.)

Ray’s blueberry-coconut muffins

Ingredients 

2 cups cake wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

½ cup desiccated coconut

1 egg, beaten

½ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup milk

1 cup frozen blueberries, slightly thawed

Method 

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a six-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners or lightly grease the cups with butter.

Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and desiccated coconut until evenly mixed.

Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the melted butter and milk until well combined.

Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; the batter should be slightly lumpy.

Add blueberries: Fold in the blueberries gently to avoid breaking them and turning the batter blue.

Fill muffin cups: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters full.

Bake: Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the muffin tin for 20 minutes before enjoying. DM