Summer in a Cup (Blueberry Green Tea)

Tea is quite possibly one of my favorite things on this earth. I love it hot or cold, but in the summer when the sun is beating on your back and glaring in your eyes, iced tea can be the most perfect thing you ever asked for. Especially the one I have down below!

Usually, I prefer my tea unsweetened but there's a certain kind of 'Asian style' tea that I just obsess over. It's super popular here in the southern parts of California and is filled with all kinds of treats such as chopped fruit and chewy tapioca balls (aka boba). I LOVE boba; it's chewy and like candy in your drink! Some people, I know, find the texture quite odd but if you haven't tried it before, give it a chance and you might find a new obsession.

This tea is perfection. It's like the tea I can find at my local Asian milk tea shops but now I can have it anytime I want it. The recipe is simple enough and it's really just a matter of assembling everything together. And if you don't like boba, or can't find the ingredients, the blueberry iced tea without the optional add ins are more than enough to keep your thirst quenched! Mmmmm summer and a glass of ice cold tea; it really doesn't get better than this.

Blueberry Green Tea with Add Ins (Asian style or not)

Yields: 6 - 8 servings

Syrup recipe from here.

For the syrup:

1 cup blueberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

6 cups water

3 - 4 tbsn. or 3 - 4 tea bags of green tea (I used peach green tea!)

1 package of large tapioca pearls/ boba (optional)

1/2 can of canned lychees, chopped (optional)

1/2 jar of coconut jelly or nata de coco, chopped (optional)

To make the syrup, add the blueberries, water and sugar into a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Boil until the blueberries burst and release their juices. Remove from heat. Use a spatula to slightly crush the berries against the sides of the pan. Strain the berries from the syrup with a colander.

You can brew the tea in two ways: hot or cold. To brew it hot, bring the water to just under a boil. Add the tea/ tea bags and let steep for 3 - 5 minutes, then cool in refrigerator until completely cooled. To brew cold, combine the water and the tea/ tea bags and let steep in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours (you don't have to worry about over steeping with cold brewing).

Prepare the tapioca pearls/ boba according to the package, then drain and set aside. To assemble, add enough of the blueberry simple syrup to the green tea until it is is just sweet enough and has enough berry flavor to your taste. If you want it 'Asian style', to assemble the individual drinks, add 2 tbsn. of boba, 2 tbsn. of chopped lychee, and 2 tbsn. of chopped coconut jelly into each serving glass. Add some ice, then top with the blueberry green tea. Drink with a large 'boba' straw!

Ricotta Anything Muffins: Two Ways

These muffins are delectable.

The ricotta in the batter is so unbelievable dreamy and creamy. The sugar on the tops add a teeny bit of crunch and the berries add a bit of tang. The almond extract is a nice addition as well, as it goes great with both blueberries and raspberries.

I ended up trying two different recipes just for experimental sake. I had only planned on making the blueberry muffins but the recipe only yielded 10 muffins plus I had tons of ricotta left over. The blueberry muffins use almond meal, which is a bit harder to come by and just a teeny bit more of a hassle to make. So for the raspberry muffins I eliminated the almond meal but still had all the delicious almond flavor by using extract and topping it with more almonds.

Raspberry Ricotta Muffins

Yields: 10 muffins

Slightly adapted from here.

Printable Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 stick butter

1 egg

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/4 cup slivered almonds, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl cream together the sugar and butter. Add the egg, ricotta and extracts and mix well. Mix wet with dry until just moistened. Fold in the raspberries carefully. Pour batter into prepared tin. Sprinkle each with a little sugar then top with slivered almonds. Bake for 28 - 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

I really can't tell which muffin I like better. Each of them were incredible in my opinion. The ricotta is what really makes these muffins. They were so moist and full of flavor! But honestly you could add whatever fruit or flavorings you'd like in this muffin, I'm sure anything would be just as delicious as these combinations!

Blueberry Ricotta Muffins

Yields: 10 muffins

Original recipe from Stick to Your Hips, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 egg + 1 white

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, egg white, vanilla, almond extract and ricotta cheese. In a small bowl mix the flour, almond meal, salt and baking powder. Stir into the ricotta mixture until just moistened. Fold in 1 1/4 cups of the berries. Fill muffin tin with batter and press the remaining berries on top of the batter, then sprinkle with extra sugar and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Moist and bursting with juicy blueberries!