The Best Blueberry Muffins

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 12 muffins
  • Total: 1 hr 15 min
  • Active: 40 min
The problem with most blueberry muffins is there are never enough blueberries. But for the batter to support the weight and moisture of the berries, it needs to have an airier texture than most dump-and-stir muffin recipes. So, we creamed the butter for that extra lift and to prevent the blueberries from making the batter gummy. We also added buttermilk and sour cream for richness and tang and to help tenderize the crumb. Lemon zest adds brightness and sprinkling raw sugar before baking give a nice crunch to the muffin tops.
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Ingredients

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)

1 tablespoon baking powder  

2 cups fresh blueberries  

1 cup buttermilk 

1/4 cup sour cream 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

Nonstick cooking spray 

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature  

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar  

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 

1 large egg 

2 large egg yolks 

3 tablespoons raw sugar  

Directions

  1. Whisk together 2 1/2 cups of the flour and the baking powder in a medium bowl until completely combined. Toss 1 1/2 cups of the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl until completely coated. Whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla and salt in a large measuring cup until smooth.
  2. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Spray the top of a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray and line with standard cupcake liners. (It's important to spray the top of the pan because the muffin tops will stick to the pan if you don't.)  
  3. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and yolks and continue beating until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes.  
  4. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in the blueberries until evenly distributed (be careful not to overmix). 
  5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups with a heaping 1/3 cup per muffin. Top the batter with the remaining 1/2 cup blueberries, gently pressing to adhere (you should have 4 to 5 berries per muffin). Sprinkle with the raw sugar.  
  6. Bake the muffins, rotating the pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins onto the wire rack to cool completely.  

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)  We developed this recipe using 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which has larger flakes than fine table salt and is less “salty.” If you are using fine table salt, use just 1 teaspoon.

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Jayne Farrell

This is my second go around. First the oven temp is way to high and I checked my oven with a oven thermometer. They burned and I checked them early. Today I set the oven on 400 and set for 20 min. The color was good and toothpick came out clean. Put them on the counter and they sunk. Flavor is good. I think I’m going back to Ina

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