Did you know you can home-freeze blueberries so that you can use them all year long in oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, muffins and cobblers? Fun fact: one cup of blueberries has 80 calories, 3.6 grams of fiber and provides 25% of daily Vitamin C. Below is the best way to freeze these little blue guys, plus we have added two delicious recipes that are a must-try!
How to freeze your blueberries:
- Purchase a fresh pack of blueberries that are completely dry. (Do not rinse before you freeze.)
- Simply place on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
- Freeze berries for a couple of hours or until they are frozen.
- Transfer the berries to a freezer bag and return to the freezer for future use.
- Write the date on the bag. (For best results use within 10 months of freezing.)
Try these two amazing recipes from blueberrycouncil.org!
BLUEBERRY DUTCH BABY PANCAKES
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
Instructions
- Place an 8-10-inch-wide cast iron skillet into the oven and preheat your oven to 425˚F.
- In a high-speed blender, combine flour, milk, and eggs for about one minute.
- Once the oven has preheated, carefully take the pan from the oven and add the butter.
- Swirl the pan to evenly coat the sides and then slowly pour the batter into the cast iron pan.
- Sprinkle the blueberries and rosemary on top of the batter and return the pan to the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the sides have puffed up like a soufflé.
BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE
Topping Ingredients
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
Cake Ingredients
- 1-2/3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, stir oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Add butter and blend until crumbly. Set aside.
- Make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar; with an electric mixer, beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the eggs, sour cream, half-and-half and vanilla; beat until well blended, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour mixture; beat on low speed to combine, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula until blended, about 30 seconds.
- Increase speed to medium and mix just until well blended, about 30 seconds.
- With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the blueberries.
- Turn batter into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly on top; press lightly.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Let cool in pan 30 minutes before serving.