No muffin pan? A skillet will do

What do you do when you are hankering for blueberry muffins, but don't have a muffin pan handy? Or maybe you just don't feel like cranking up the oven on a hot summer day.

You cook them in a skillet, using the muffin batter as you would pancake batter.

Why not just make blueberry pancakes? Though recipes will vary, most pancake and muffin recipes call for equal amounts of flour and eggs. But while pancakes call for more liquid, muffins get more (often way more) sugar, fat, and baking powder.

That's why muffins are dense and cake-like, while pancakes are light and fluffy.

So while muffin batter cooked in a skillet may resemble a pancake, the taste is all muffin. And while muffins can take half an hour to bake, these pancake-style muffins cook up in just minutes.

Makes 4 servings

For the muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries

For the topping:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, then stir just until a batter forms. Gently stir in the blueberries. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium. Coat the skillet with cooking spray, reduce heat to low, then ladle batter into the skillet, using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup per muffin. Do not crowd the pan, as the muffins will spread.

4. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a bit of the topping. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until risen and browned on the bottom. Use a spatula to flip and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes.

5. Repeat with remaining batter.

Per serving: 475 calories, 10 grams protein, 85 grams carbohydrates, 36 grams sugar, 10 grams fat, 46 milligrams cholesterol, 334 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber