Bad Bears' Blueberry Muffin Soup

My boys are big fans of Irving and Muktuk, the two bad bears of Jill and Daniel Pinkwater's Bad Bears series. They are indeed bad polar bears, and not to be trusted, but they are very funny. We first met the blueberry-muffin-loving pair in Bad Bears and a Bunny, in which Irving and Muktuk are excited to go to a party where the culinary delights include, among other happy things, blueberry muffin soup.

So, fresh on the heels of Anna's literary-inspired Stone Soup, here's what we imagine Irving, Muktuk, and their friends enjoyed.

Bad Bears' Blueberry Muffin Soup

Look for wild blueberries in the frozen food section. I like the small berries better in these tiny muffins. If you want to make this more of a dessert, Anna suggests adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or 1 cup each all-purpose and whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
lemon zest (optional)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups frozen wild blueberries

For the soup:
1 cup plain yogurt
3-4 tablespoons blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 to 1/2 cup berry or orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a mini muffin pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, cardamom, and nutmeg, then stir in the lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, then whisk in the milk, oil, and yogurt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring just enough to incorporate the ingredients. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Fill muffin cups and bake about 15 minutes, until the tops feel springy, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

To make the soup, blend together blueberries and plain yogurt until smooth, adding juice until you get the consistency you like.

To serve, ladle soup into a bowl and add one or two muffins.