Juicy berries give boost to delicious summertime muffins

Nothing delights me more than seeing my daughters, Hannah and Rachel, follow in my footsteps and create recipes. This summer, my girls did just that while working for their school newspaper, The East Carolinian, at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. (Hannah is a columnist and Rachel is a photographer and design layout editor.)

They worked together on today's recipe, developing, styling and photographing Motivate Me Muffins hot out of the oven. In fact, portions of this column appeared in The East Carolinian on June 27, 2012.

I was the lucky recipient of their leftovers. Motivate Me Muffins are a treasure — whether you are a sleepy college student, a weary parent or a working person in need of an energy boost in the summer heat.

To paraphrase what Hannah wrote in her column: You need something to energize you on early mornings, and this seasonal berry muffin recipe is just the fix.

Ÿ Alicia Ross is the co-author of “Desperation Dinners!” cookbook series. Write her at Kitchen Scoop, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, or tellus@kitchenscoop.com. More at the Kitchen Scoop website, kitchenscoop.com.