Blueberries are the tastiest in summer. The peak of their season is mid-late summer. Each year, B and I think that we should definitely, this year, go berry picking and somehow summers end up going by without berry picking. I’m not ready to say “good bye” to summer yet, so I think we still have a chance before the season is up :). If not, there is always apple and pear picking to look forward to, with all the yummy treats to make with those fruits.

Packed with antioxidants and versatile as a snack, as a topping for desserts or breakfast cereals or yogurt parfaits, blueberries are a pretty awesome fruit. We usually get together with friends of ours, most of whom are gluten free, on Friday night and bring a potluck dinner. I said I would bring dessert and so I decided to do a little recipe testing and make vanilla gluten-free cupcakes and ice them with a blueberry lemon icing – combining two flavors that I absolutely adore.

Blueberry + Lemon is a perfect partnership of sweet and citrus that I first came across several years ago in my favorite ice cream flavor, usually offered just once a year, at my favorite local ice cream shoppe in Cambridge, MA called Toscaninis.

For those of you who have been here with me on BlueBootsGo for a number of years, you may remember my former pen-name on Pinterest and Instagram, nini4nana. This basically was a tribute to my love for “ninis” which is short for Toscaninis ice cream + my nickname “nana.” So, Toscaninis is a pretty important part of my Boston experience. While I was out running errands, I checked the flavors and saw they had Blueberry Lemon so I zipped over to pick up a pint, and inspired by this combination of flavors, voilà, this easy dessert idea was born.

I live right around the corner from Bruegger’s Bagels and they’re pretty close to a NY style bagel. Since they’re so close by, I can often get a fresh, hot bagel to satisfy my craving (I know, that is pretty awesome).

Like me, they’re also holding on to summer, and have a neat savory and sweet limited summer menu with some cool flavors – including this Whipped Blueberry Greek Cream Cheese made with greek yogurt. Doesn’t that sound yummy?

I have greek yogurt most days for breakfast, and the thick, protein-rich content keeps me full and is a regular part of my diet.

Everyone knows that cream cheese icing is basically the best kind there is.  I wanted to bring the best-tasting cupcakes that even the pickiest kiddo who doesn’t like dessert much would like,  so I  decided to streamline my dessert-making process and turn this yummy whipped blueberry greek cream cheese into an easy icing du jour to top a beautiful dessert to bring to Friday night dinner.

Whipped Blueberry Greek Cream Cheese Icing  

(for 1 dozen cupcakes. Preparation: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of 6.5 oz  container Bruegger’s Bagels Whipped Blueberry Greek Cream Cheese, softened (just leave out for about 10 minutes before you use it)
• 1.5 cups of powdered or confectioners sugar
• zest of 1 large lemon – approximately 1.5 teaspoon
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• a pint of fresh blueberries to garnish

Directions:

1. Combine cream cheese and 1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar in a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl to be used with hand mixer). If you use a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to combine until the texture is smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
2. Add the cream and vanilla; whip, then add remaining confectioners’ sugar, 3/4 cup at a time.
3. Zest half of the lemon over the mixing bowl and stir in with a spatula.
4. Topping: Save the other half of the lemon zest to garnish the cupcake and add an extra zing of citrus flavor. Garnish with 3-4 blueberries.

Special Tools (helpful but not required):

• stand mixer
• microplane grater
• small silicone spatula
• reusable, dishwasher safe, silicone cupcake liners (like these or these)

For the gluten free cupcakes, I adapted this recipe on Gluten Free by Gigi for these buttery vanilla cupcakes and found all the ingredients easily at my usual local grocery store, Trader Joe’s using the ingredients pictured. I would recommend filling the cupcake liners at a maximum of half full as the cupcakes will expand.

What does it taste like?

The whipped cream cheese icing is sweet, smooth, definitely tastes like blueberries (and not fake blueberries) and has a sparkle of citrus. The addition of fresh blueberries on top is the perfect texture and a juicy touch to the bites of cake+icing. The balance of this with the moist cake is just right. Plus, anyone who has a gluten restriction can enjoy it too!

The cupcakes + blueberry icing were a success at dinner – even the little girl who didn’t like dessert said she liked these cupcakes! That’s success in my book.

Now that you have another recipe to try, why not try your hand at winning one of two $10 gift cards to Bruegger’s Bagels to enjoy coffee, breakfast or lunch sandwiches, Vermont cream cheese, and more for yourself, your family, or your office? It is easy to enter, so have fun!

To enter the BlueBootsGo *G I V E A W A Y *

(August 23-August 30, 2016 at 11:59 pm)

1. Follow me on Instagram @BlueBootsGo
2. Tag a friend in the comments on my Instagram post who would love to enter this giveaway too – they can enter too! You can tag as many friends as you would like who would be interested. 
3. For +2 extra entries, visit the Where the BlueBoots Go Facebook page, head over to the giveaway tab on the far left, and enter.
4. For +2 extra entries (or if you don’t have Instagram), comment below on this blog post with your favorite type of bagel OR dessert, or what you would use this Bruegger’s Bagels gift card for!

All entries will be verified and the winners will be chosen randomly. Good luck!!

You can also keep track of your entries by clicking below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking for a Bruegger’s near you? You can check on this map. 

My recipe will also be available on the Bruegger’s recipe site – head over to check out other easy Bruegger’s -inspired recipes! 

I partnered with Bruegger’s Bagels for this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that are a part of the BlueBootsGo lifestyle, and that I have been enjoying and using for years. All the opinions in this post are my own.