Blueberry muffins that are soft, moist, fluffy, and packed full of fresh blueberry flavor!
Every Friday morning, my little boy and I go on a “muffin date.” It’s honestly one of the best parts of my week, and I will treasure our little dates as long as he will let me. There’s this little muffin bakery down the street from our house in Birmingham, and while the actual building isn’t anything to write home about, the muffins are just so delicious. Just about every week my little boy orders a blueberry muffin. On occasion, he’ll spring for the chocolate chip or banana variety, but 9 out of 10 Fridays that boy has his eyes locked on that blueberry muffin. We sit and chat about all the important things in life- what’s on our grocery list, his current favorite construction truck, what car he thinks he’ll drive when he “gets bigger,” and “just how good is that blueberry muffin?”
“So good, Mama.”
That right there, that little statement, is the highest praise my sweet 3-year-old little boy will offer. And it’s that statement that brings the biggest smile to my face every time he likes something that I bake for him.
The boy loves blueberry muffins, I love the boy, therefore I made blueberry muffins. And you know what? I got a “So good, Mama” for these muffins.
To expand on what my 3-year-old calls “so good,” these blueberry muffins are soft, moist, and packed full of blueberries. Fresh from the oven, these muffins melt in your mouth. To ensure that each bite has lots of blueberry flavor, I like to mash a portion of the blueberries and fold those into the batter along with the whole blueberries. I also sprinkle some extra sugar on top before baking so that you get that coveted bakery-style sugary exterior.
And bonus, these are super easy to whip up! All you need is a little time to let your ingredients come to room temperature. The perfect bake for a weekend morning. Or better yet, make these on the weekend and munch on them throughout the week!
No matter when you make them, just be sure you do. My guess is you’ll get a “So good” from whoever you share them with.
What you’ll need to make these muffins:
Blueberries: Because these are in fact blueberry muffins! I like to use a combination of mashed blueberries and whole blueberries to evenly distribute that fresh blueberry flavor and color.
Butter: Using softened butter instead of melted butter keeps these muffins fluffy while maintaining great flavor and moisture.
Sugar: Makes these muffins perfectly sweet and tender. I sprinkle additional sugar on top before baking for extra sweetness and texture!
Eggs: For structure, moisture, and binding.
Vanilla: For added flavor.
Lemon zest: A little lemon zest adds a nice punch of brightness to these muffins. But you can leave this out if you don’t have a lemon on hand!
Sour cream: Using sour cream makes these muffins especially soft and moist.
Buttermilk: Like the sour cream, using buttermilk adds moisture. Also, the extra acidity from the buttermilk makes these muffins tender and soft.
Flour: For structure.
Baking powder and baking soda: For leavening.
Kosher salt: To balance out all the sweetness.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
Why do my ingredients need to be room temperature? When the ingredients are at room temperature, this allows the batter to come together seamlessly into a smooth, homogenous mixture. This ultimately results in a lighter, more tender crumb. Cold ingredients will make your batter lumpy and irregular, resulting in dense, potentially tough muffins.
What if I don’t have buttermilk on hand? Not to worry! You can make a DIY buttermilk at home. For every 1 cup of whole milk, add 1 tablespoon of either white distilled vinegar or lemon juice, and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The milk will curdle, but that’s a good thing.
Can I substitute yogurt for sour cream? Yes! Just make sure it’s full-fat, plain yogurt.
A few notes before you bake:
If you super-duper love lemon flavor, try adding ¼ teaspoon lemon extract to the batter along with the vanilla. On the other hand, if you’re not big on lemon flavor, just leave out the lemon zest entirely!
You’ll notice the recipe instructs you to start your bake at 425°F and then, after a certain amount of time, drop the oven temperature to 350°F. That initial blast of heat allows the muffins to rise quickly, giving them a “crown” shape rather than staying flat. Be sure to keep the oven door shut when you’re lowering the oven temperature.
I like to fill my muffin tins with a spring-loaded cookie scoop to keep things clean and simple. Give it a try!
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Blueberry Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 15 standard sized muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast/ Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Breakfast, Snack
Description
Blueberry muffins that are soft, moist, fluffy, and packed full of fresh blueberry flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, divided
- 113 gm (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened*
- 200 gm (1 cup) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 60 gm (1/4 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
- 120 gm (1/2 cup) whole buttermilk, at room temperature
- 250 gm (2 cups, spoon & leveled) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 15 standard-sized muffin tins with paper liners.
- Place 1/2 cup blueberries in a small bowl and mash gently with a fork until the blueberries have burst and release some of their juices. Set aside for now.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the eggs, one at a time, being sure that each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and buttermilk until smooth and combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
- Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternate adding the flour mixture and sour cream mixture to the batter, mixing on low speed after each addition until the ingredients are just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add in the mashed blueberries and the remaining 1 cup whole blueberries and gently fold in by hand using a rubber spatula.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin tins, filling each almost to the top of the paper liner. Sprinkle sugar evenly over each muffin (I use about 1/4 teaspoon per muffin).
- Bake for 8 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tins for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Softened butter: The right consistency for softened butter is soft, but still a bit firm. When you press your finger into the butter, it should leave an indentation, but shouldn’t be shiny or greasy. If you really want to get technical, use an instant read thermometer: your butter should be between 65-67°F.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
