BLUE RIBBON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms of 12 muffin pan cups; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix egg, milk and oil. Make a well with a spoon in center of the flour mixture. Pour egg mixture and blueberries into the well. Stir until flour mixture is moistened; the batter will still be lumpy. Gently spoon batter into the greased muffin pan cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from muffin pan cups. Dip tops of warm muffins in melted butter or margarine, then in 1/2 cup sugar. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Variations:
Cranberry-Orange Muffins: Omit blueberries. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup chopped cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon grated orange peel. Stir cranberry mixture into flour mixture with egg mixture.
Date-Nut Muffins: Omit blueberries. Stir 3/4 cup diced pitted dates and 1/2 cup chopped nuts into flour mixture with egg mixture.
Miniature Muffins: Spoon any of the above batters into greased bite-sized muffin pan cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.