Summertime Cherries

One of the things
I love about
living on the
Flathead Lake
are the summertime
cherries.

All year
I look forward
to visiting
one of the many
Cherry Orchards
that are within
a few miles
from where
I live.

And with a basket
(and 10 dollars)
I can pick
10 pounds of cherries!

Most of them I eat
when they are fresh.

But this year
I was able to freeze
about 5 pounds.

And now,
as the area
slowly approaches
spring,
I can enjoy
summertime cherries.

Chocolate Cherry Muffins
Makes about 10 large muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
Zest of one lemon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 cup halved, pitted cherries
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest. Add the cubed butter to the bowl and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the egg. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate and dried cherries.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center emerges clean, about 40 minutes.

Cool the muffins in their tins for 5 minutes and then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool some more. Serve warm or at room temperature.