Wholesome and healthy, these muffins are bursting with blueberry deliciousness. Early Spring, the blueberry plant sprouts little white, bell shaped flowers before developing antioxidant rich plump berries. Their unique earthy sweetness peaks mid-end Spring through to Summer, making NOW the ideal time to whip up these muffins. Their flavour, not to mention their health benefits are definitely worth diving into. Did you know that Blueberries are THE most powerful antioxidant fruit? A single half cup of blueberries can double our normal daily antioxidant intake and have anti-aging effects (love that!). They are associated with the prevention of cancer, brain damage, high cholesterol and age-related health diseases. So I've been doing some experimental baking lately using different ingredients that are more natural. I find for our main meals, it's very easy to choose fresh, wholesome ingredients to cook with, however when it comes to baking, I feel a little out of depth as so much can go wrong! No one likes a flat, flavourless cake do they? The good news is that for these muffins, I've discovered spelt flour provides a lovely light & fluffy texture. The added bonus is that it has less gluten than your standard white and whole wheat flour. You'll also notice that in this recipe I've ditched sugar within the muffin, instead using a combination of rice malt syrup and maple syrup. I've only used a small portion of brown sugar in the crunchy topping, giving the muffin just enough of a sweet kick to make it a real treat. In my kitchen, flavour is an absolute priority, so note, I would never substitute anything unless is delivers the same, if not more flavour! Blueberry Muffins

• Blueberries* 1 1/2 punnets, rinsed
• Spelt Flour** 1 3/4 cup, sifted
• Baking Powder 2 tsp
• Sea Salt 1/2 tsp
• Macadamia Oil 1/3 cup
• Free Range Egg 1
• Rice Malt Syrup** 1/4 cup
• Maple Syrup 1/4 cup
• Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
• Lemon Juice 1 tsp
• Milk 1/3 cup

Crunchy Macadamia Nut Topping

• Butter 2 TB, cold, chopped
• Cinnamon 1 tsp
• Spelt Flour 1/4 cup
• Brown Sugar 1/4 cup
• Macadamia Nuts 1 TB, roughly chopped
• Raw Sugar 1 tsp

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius. Line or grease 8 large muffin tin holes. To begin, make the crunchy topping. Add all topping ingredients except the raw sugar in a small bowl. Using your fingers, rub the mixture together until it's combined & crumbly. (Don't worry too much if there are still lumps of butter). Set aside in the fridge. For the muffins, add all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. In a jug, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine (careful to not over stir as this creates a dense muffin, you want them light & fluffy!) Tip in the blueberries and give it a last quick mix through. Scoop the muffin batter into each muffin hole. Remove the crunchy topping mixture from the fridge and pile on top of each muffin. Lastly, scatter each muffin with the raw sugar. Bake in the oven for 20-25mins. To test pierce a muffin with a skewer, if it comes out clean they are ready! The top should be lovely & golden. Allow muffins to cool slightly before eating, allowing the juicy blueberries to set a little. Makes 8 *Feel free to reduce the amount of blueberries to only 1 punnet if you prefer less **You can now find Spelt Flour & Rice Brown Syrup in the health food aisle in most major supermarkets. Random facts about Blueberries:

1. New studies make it clear that we can freeze blueberries without doing damage to their delicate anthocyanin antioxidants (this means you can enjoy blueberries months after their peak season!)
2. The perfect blueberry should be dusty in colour (don't rinse off the "dust" until your ready to eat them, otherwise they will soften and spoil faster).
3. Just half a cup of blueberries contains the same amount of antioxidants as:

• 2 ¼ cups of broccoli
• 2 ½ cups of spinach
• 2 ½ cups of corn

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