Blueberry & Almond Olive Oil Muffins with Infused Lemon Milk

Makes 12 medium size muffins

¾ cup plus 2 tbsp (175 g) sugar
1 cup (230 ml) milk
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp (100 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
3/4 cups blueberries, rinsed, drained and dried on paper-towels
flaked almonds, for sprinkling
Powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly oil and flour a standard 12-cup non-stick muffin tin.

Place the sugar, milk, lemon zest and scraped vanilla bean seeds with the pod in a medium saucepan over low heat and bring just barely to a simmer while stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse and cool down.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk through ground almonds. Add the olive oil, beaten eggs and cooled milk mixture and whisk gently to form a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Mix a couple dashes of all-purpose flour with berries and arrange 4-5 blueberries on top of each muffin any way you like. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and leaving to cool completely.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Idea for recipe comes from Sweets by Christina Marsigliese