It is July and that means it is National Blueberry Month! Who can pass up any excuse to celebrate most all National "____" Months (except for National Fruit Cake Month...I could probably skip that one..lol). So since I live in the Midwest, I am happy to enjoy this time of year and celebrate fresh Michigan Blueberries.
I always wonder what it would be like to experience a Michigan Blueberry Farm and harvest season (I often wonder about a lot of fruit/vegetable harvests and how it would be a great feeling of accomplishment). But now after saying this out loud, I realize maybe I shouldn't admit these things..oops! HA HA!
In my head, this idealized image comes out a little more on the romantic side - a cool breeze, a blueberry rake to collect the berries, no physical effort needed and then magically...the berries would just appear clean, cool and in pint sized containers ready to enjoy. This isn't how it works???
Then I wake up and come to the realization my notions, if said out loud, would either offend or create laughter in the blueberry community (there is a community...right?!). While the season success produces amazing fruit, the harvest I realize is probably not as beautiful. This reality which I assume I need to accept consists of massive machines, manual labor and a lot of sweat....not so romantic, huh??
While I am not able to experience the harvest by traveling to Michigan (which would ruin my ideals I am not willing to part with...just yet), the ability to get the berries here is an improvement over the frozen options. So I'll stick to my romantic notions and continue visiting my local Farmer's Market.
Let's celebrate National Blueberry Month with Blueberry Oat Cookies. Enjoy this recipe and hopefully they will stay around your kitchen longer than my test batch did for me (and I doubled it....)
Blueberry Oat Cookies
1 C Unbleached Flour
3/4 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 C Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 C White Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1 C Rolled Oats
1 C Fresh Blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
Mix the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a bowl; set aside.
Beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla, then add the egg and beat just until mixed well. Add the flour mixture gradually, just until combined. Stir in the oats and blueberries. Using a large scoop, shape dough into balls and space evenly on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack.
Nutrition and miscellaneous facts: 1 cup of blueberries is 84 calories. Blueberries contain no cholesterol or fat and are also low in calories. Blueberries are high in dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and contain iron and and are a fair source of Vitamin C.