Blue Corn Muffins

Three of the ingredients in this recipe—blue corn, maple syrup, and pine nuts—are native to North America. When European explorers first came to what they then referred to as the New World, the Native Americans were already cultivating several varieties of corn, including black, red, white, yellow, and blue. Each type had a different primary usage; the blue variety was generally dried and ground into meal. While the corn kernels are truly a dark blue color, the pinkish lavender tint found i