Perfect Blueberry Muffins
Total Time
30 to 40 minutes
Rating
4.8 out of 5 stars
(253)
Ingredients
9 muffins
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
- Finely grated zest from half a lemon
- 3/4 cup (180 grams) plain unsweetened yogurt or sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (215 to 255 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen (no need to defrost)
- 3 tablespoons (35 grams) turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
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Preparation
Step 1
Heat oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners or spray each cup with nonstick spray.
Step 3
Melt butter in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk in sugar, zest, yogurt, and egg until smooth.
Step 4
Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and salt until fully combined.
Step 5
Lightly fold in flour and berries. The batter will be very thick, like a cookie dough.
Step 6
Divide between prepared muffin cups and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar.
Step 7
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean (except for blueberry goo).
Step 8
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then the rest of the way on a rack.
Step 9
These muffins are best on the first day. For day two, split them open under a broiler with a pat of salted butter.
Step 10
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
This recipe began as an adaptation of an old Cook’s Illustrated blueberry muffin but with many changes, it no longer resembles the original. I use yogurt instead of buttermilk, less sugar, and have adapted it to make it one-bowl.
In August 2016, it got the biggest overhaul yet after a month of blueberry muffin studies.
From Stella Parks at Serious Eats, I came to agree a full teaspoon of coarse sugar on top of each muffin makes a crunchy lid.
I also found Stella’s combination of coriander and nutmeg worth trying, even if I default to lemon zest here.
From Blythe Danner, I realized you could put an inordinate amount of berries in each muffin and still have a very good muffin, doubling the berries from 3/4 cups to 1 1/4 is excellent.
