A Friday Muffin

I've mentioned that Friday is muffin day around here and since it's Friday today I have a muffin recipe for you. This is one of the nicest blueberry muffins out there, nothing fancy, just a nice homey sort of muffin that's warm and good tasting. What else would you expect out of a recipe out of The Tasha Tudor Cookbook?

Robie's Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup shortening (I use butter and they turn out just fine)
1 cup sugar
2 farm-fresh eggs, at room temperature (I use eggs from the store and straight out of the fridge, it doesn't seem to have and unwelcome affect on the batter.)
2 1/4 cups unbleached flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup fresh dairy milk (again I get my milk from the store seeing as I don't have a cow near at hand.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, not thawed
sugar and cinnamon for topping.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper baking cups. ( I put mine straight into muffin tins that have been greased)
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and beat the mixture well. Sift 2 cups of the flour with the salt and baking powder and add it to the bowl, alternating with the milk. Beat the mixture just until smooth, then add the vanilla. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour with the berries, just enough to coat them. Gently fold these into the mixture.
Fill the prepared tins about 2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin lightly with sugar and cinnamon.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until lightly brown.
Makes 18 muffins