Blueberry Muffins
These from-scratch blueberry muffins are absolutely amazing. The crumb is moist and tender and they are topped with lemon zest and sugar!
I have another recipe for blueberry muffins on this blog. They are good. But these? These muffins are phenomenal.
The crumb is so moist and tender. Honestly – I’ve never had a from-scratch muffin turn out as delicious.
This could be helped along by the fact that these muffins are topped with a divine concoction of lemon zest and sugar. But really, the muffin itself takes the cake and I am excited to try the base muffin recipe with other add-ins (think: chocolate chips).
The great thing about these delectable morsels is they can be made with fresh or frozen berries.
Living in a winter tundra with a poor selection of fresh produce and unwilling to pay $36 for a pint of sub-par fresh blueberries, I chose to use frozen…and the result was stellar.
Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping:
- ⅓ cup (71 g) sugar
- Zest from one lemon
Muffins:
- 2 cups frozen blueberries, or 2 cups fresh
- 1 ⅛ cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup oil, vegetable or canola
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the topping, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.
- For the muffins, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
- Rinse one cup frozen berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry well. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes.
- Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour – don’t overmix. This is the key to moist and tender muffins.
- Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. Using a skewer (or a chopstick), gently swirl the berry filling into the batter using a figure eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.
- Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
178 Comments on “Blueberry Muffins”
Made these muffins for my Sunday school class. Everyone loved them and several requested the recipe. I didnt make the syrup but added fresh blueberries. Made another batch for my family who also enjoyed them. Thanks for a great blueberry muffin recipe.
Do these freeze well?
Yes, they do.
Truly delicious! I didn’t have time for the blueberry syrup and used about 1.5 cups of frozen blueberries. This one is going in the binder!!!
The family loves these!
These were absolutely delicious! I made a double recipe and even though I have a family of 7, I’m pretty sure I ate 3/4ths of them! They were some of the best muffins I have ever made. I didn’t have buttermilk and subbed it with half milk and half blueberry yogurt. It was still amazing!
Made this tonight! Very good we loved them!
We loved these! I slightly overcooked them because they didn’t look done at first glance, but that was my fault. Next time I’ll tap the tops to see if they’re set rather than trusting my eyes. They were still delicious! Thanks for the great recipe, Mel!
These were amazing, even using an all-purpose gluten free flour. Soooo sweet though. While the sugar is definitely part of the appeal for the family, has anyone made them with a little less sugar? Would I need to substitute anything else to make sure the dry-wet ingredients have the same ratio?
These are soooooo good!!! My son is dairy free so I used dairy free “butter” and cashew milk yogurt in place of the buttermilk. They baked up beautifully. The jam swirl is worth the extra step!
Hi Mel,
Just browsing your muffin recipes (Friday night!) and clicked over from the blueberry yogurt oat recipe. I’ve been making this recipe for 10+ years! This is my very favorite recipe for blueberry muffins (via CI) after trying a bunch of different recipes when we moved to Maine- gotta have a killer blueberry muffin recipe if you live in Maine, right? Instead of making the syrup/compote, I always sub homemade blueberry jam- about a teaspoon per muffin, swirled in. I realize not everyone has jam in their pantry, but it makes this recipe so much faster and equally delicious. It streamlines the prep down to something I can face early in the morning. I also always use Demerara/raw/sanding sugar on top (scrunched with the lemon)- makes such a sparkly, crunchy lid. So, so good!
Hi Mel- love your recipes! Made this for the first time tonight. My muffins look nothing like your picture. All of my topping seemed to have melted into the top of the muffin, so they look like they have no topping. Haven’t tasted yet but looking forward to them! Any suggestions?
Did the topping sink down into the muffin?
Made these today and doubled recipe! These are perfect!!! I’d use 1/2 cup more blueberries in the batter next time! I ‘covered’ 1/2 the tops with Sparkling Sugar and Lemon zest and rest with just sparkling sugar!! That blueberry syrup is to die for!! Wish I could post a pic!
These were delicious – made them with my 13 year old daughter and we both loved them!
I make these (the night before) & scrambled eggs before we go skiing & they are divine!!! Thanks for the recipe!!
The muffins are amazing. The crumb is tender and light. The only concern was the number of dirty dishes but the muffins are so delicious that I will make them again. I agree with your comment and this will become my muffin base too. Next up will be the addition of chocolate chips in lieu of blueberries or maybe butterscotch and white chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Mel, I was wondering if this could be made as a loaf bread? and if so what adjustments would you make if any?
I haven’t tried that but you could definitely experiment!
I usually substitute our own homemade yogurt for buttermilk, but it has just occurred to me that because we make the yogurt with nonfat dry milk, they would have different fat content. Nonetheless these turned out great!
I didn’t use the syrup method as this morning I need something fast and portable. Thanks for the hint in the note.
Every recipe I try from you turns out great. Thank you.
I gave his recipe only 2 points, so note that I’m not American and I’m no expert on muffins which don’t exist in my culinary culture. My son, who is half American and occasionally eats muffins outside of the house, asked me to make them. I chose this recipe based on description and reviews as my first blueberry muffin recipe ever.
Despite my lack of expertise I think your readers deserve to know why these muffins are not for everyone.
First- the positive. They rose nicely and the blueberry filling was very tasty.
However, for my taste:
-these muffins tasted more like cake than like muffins one can get in a bakery
-they were much too sweet, even without the topping
-they tasted too much like baking powder ( I bet they would rise with a smaller amount of powder, so perhaps that should be tried)
-I found them time consuming too make, too many dishes dirties in preparation etc.
I feel like there must be a better recipe for our needs somewhere out there, more like a breakfast muffin, less like desert.
Dear Mel,
Our family enjoys so many of your recipes for things from meals to treats to holidays (all but one of my holiday recipes are yours…and if you had a cornbread stuffing on your site I am confident I would use that too). In fact, we have a saying around our house ,”Mel never fails!”
I just wanted to encourage you though, your recipes are more than just a way to feed others. They can bring joy in dark places. I have a sweet friend who is losing her battle to cancer. She had a good enough day to pick blueberries last weekend (because she wasn’t going to let cancer steal that joy!). She called me yesterday and asked me if I would pick up her bluberries and make “those blueberry muffins you make for Bible study” (your recipe). I shared the recipe with her long ago, but she just is not able to make them. The muffins are in the oven right now and as they bake I am so thankful that you have gifted me with this recipe so that I can serve her in a way that brings joy to her in such a difficult time. Thank you for all of your hard work
Kara
*i tried to fill in all of the stars on the review, but from my phone it only filled in 4 1/2. This is definitely a 5+Star recipe!!!
Oh, Kara – your comment made me smile and also get teary-eyed. Thanks for sharing about your dear friend. Funny how hearing things like this can instantly put life into perspective. Thank you! I hope your friend loved the muffins and that they lifted her spirits…thanks for the reminder to serve where we can to whoever needs it.
My son Alexander and I made these . We added white chocolate chips which made them even more delectable!
These really are THE BEST blueberry muffins!!
The blueberry syrup didn’t turn out great. It was only enough for 6 muffins and was too thick to swirl into the batter. Thoughts?
Great!
I think I really messed up the blueberry syrup…it only made enough for six muffins and was just a thick mass of sticky blueberry peels so swirling it into the batter wasn’t really an option. Thoughts?
Sometimes dolloping little bits of blueberry syrup will do the trick, without swirling. Someone else commented I think that they put half the batter in the muffin tin, spoon in some blueberry syrup and then adding the other half of the batter and baking that way?
No doubt this recipe required more preparation time as compared to the blueberry cream cheeze muffins, its still worth taking the extra time to make this. The blueberry fillings in the muffins together with the lemon sugar toppings makes these muffins stands out.
I just made these without the blueberry syrup step OR the lemon sugar. Just plain jane blueberry muffins that were quick and anything but ‘plain jane’. Seriously. Delicious! My forever go-to from here on out, I think. And maybe someday I’ll get fancy and try the extra embellishments. But for anyone who was scared off by the extra steps – they’re not necessary and you will still get a yummy muffin!
THESE ARE THE BEST! I HAVE A GLUTEN INTOLERENCE, SO I SUBBED IN MY GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR, AND ADDED A TEASPOON OF SOUR CREAM TO KEEP EM MOIST. MY KIDS LOVE THESE, AND THEY FREEZE WONDERFULLY. THANKS AGAIN MEL!
I absolutely love this recipe! Blueberry season is in and I’m gonna be baking these babies every week! Just wanted to know if I can sub more butter for the oil?
I think that would work!
I’ve loved these muffins immensely the past 4 times I’ve made them…but today I ran out of white flour and used whole wheat instead. They turned out suprisingly awesome! Obviously not quite as tender as usual but still definitely delicious and none of the less discerning palates (read: the kids) could tell the difference. I ground the flour with my Wonder Mill using the pastry setting so I’m sure that had something to do with it. I think I might just make them this way forever!
So good to know!
I wanted to make 6 jumbo muffins. Would this recipe be okay for that? What temperature should I bake them at as I want them to come out like the ones from cafes.
I haven’t made jumbo muffins with this recipe, but I’m sure you could try – I would bake them per the recipe and add time as needed.
Thank you so much! Do you have any recipe for jumbo muffins as well?
I’ll give these a try in my jumbo pan tomorrow and let you know!
Can you make mini muffins with this recipe and do I need to adjust anything?
I haven’t tried it, but it should work pretty well (swirling the blueberry filling into the batter might get a little tricky).
How much is the measurement of 1 cup equivalent to in metric terms please? Also is powdered sugar, caster sugar? Than You
You can google a conversion calculator if you need the measurements a different way – I don’t use metric measurements so I don’t calculate them. Sorry!
Are these muffins good the next day?
Yes, I think so.
Amazing
Made these for “breakfast for dinner”. My five yr old declared them “Muffin candy!” 🙂 they were delish!
Is this a recipe that can be used in a high altitude
Sure – most of the recipes on my site I’ve made at high altitude but I can’t guarantee 100% results, of course, as everyone’s climate/altitude is different.
Have you ever baked this in a loaf pan? So like a blueberry muffin bread? Just wondering if you have and how it turned out 🙂
No, but I think someone in the comment thread above may have tried it.
I have done this! It turned out really well actually, I made it that way after I ran out of cupcake liners but still had tons of batter left. It disappeared in seconds! 🙂
Yes, I did bake it in a loaf pan. AMAZING. I think I doubled the recipe and came up with 2 standard sized loaves and one mini loaf. I don’t remember exactly though, but I do remember it was awesome. Making it again for teacher appreciation week!!
Hi Mel,
I made these this morning, but accidentally left out the oil…they were still very good…but can you tell me what the difference would have been had I not forgotten? Moister? I also left off the sugar coating on top as my wee one is having them too – but all in all, I am very pleased…thank you!! I just wondered about the oil…I like to understand these things 😉
Hey Melissa – mostly the oil helps the crumb of the muffin to be tender and moist. It also can help the muffin texture not crumble.
ohhhhh, Mellll….we sure do love you around here!! I was wondering if you think I could make this recipe in a 9×13 pan and if so would i need to double it??
Thanks Cyndi! That’s a great question but I’m afraid I’ve never tried it. I do think just looking at the recipe that it would probably need to be doubled for a 9×13. Good luck!
hi Mel, a quick question ! way back in the spring( I believe) I requested if you could come up with or have your own personal recipe “cream of wheat” that you would share with us .. the box version is going against all my kitchen rules.-its coming up to that time of year again and we live in northern Ontario–Very,very cold !!! 6 hr drive to quebec (were my n-laws live).True Canadians. This is one comfort dish that I would love to refer to and give to my daughter before getting on the school bus in the morning -lol just think some brown sugar on top with piping hot creamy cream of wheat & some plump raisins. Mel, considering how busy you are do you think it would be possible to address my otherwise patient adrenaline????thank you mel so far for all your hard work & recipes,they are awesome. your the best !!!!
I haven’t forgotten about your request; promise! I’ve actually been experimenting with how coarse/fine to grind the wheat and toasting it. I hope to post a version soon but only when it is just right. Good luck with that brutal cold!
Hi, I just made these but I made one mistake. I accidentally added the sugar into the flour bowl. Then in a different bowl I did the egg mixture. My muffins turned out pretty thick-even the batter was really thick. Could the sugar mistake be why? I want to make these again knowing that putting the sugar in the egg mixture bowl will give me moist muffins.
Thanks!
Kristen – The order of ingredients can definitely make a difference in the consistency of a batter like this. Did you bake the muffins? If they came out light and moist it sounds like it was ok. If not, I’d wager another try mixing it the other way will make a better difference. Good luck!
can you tell me when it asks for buttermilk if the batter changes or tastes different if you make your own with fat free milk and lemon juice? thanks
cheryl frankart – You can definitely make your own buttermilk with milk and lemon juice but I’ve never tried it in this recipe with fat free milk so I don’t know how that would affect it (I’ve done it with lowfat, 1% milk, with good results).
Feel free to visit my webpage … web page; Russel,
These definitely are the best muffins I’ve ever made. Now I just need to get a jumbo muffin pan I make bakery size muffins! Thanks for all your great recipes.
Made these for breakfast today and they were awesome! I used mini muffin tins and got 30 minis out of this recipe. Loved the blueberry syrup and lemon sugar that goes on top. So good!
Oops, ignore my duplicate question. I didn’t see where to click “newer comments”, which would have answered my original question… 🙂
Do you ever make these muffins with whole white wheat flour? Do you think it will change the texture or flavor? I am always a fan of sneaking in more fiber 🙂
Have you ever made these with whole wheat flour? Or does it compromise the flavor or texture? Love all your recipes!
Elizabeth – I’ve never made these with whole wheat. I think it’s possible but the muffins won’t be as light and fluffy as with 100% white flour. Good luck!
Hi Mel, have you ever tried using browned butter for the melted butter? Do you think that would work? Thanks in advance!!
Stephanie – I haven’t but your suggestion is brilliant! I think it would be divine.
I made this these this morning after preparing your Beef Stew in the slow cooker, and my kitchen looks like a bomb went off! A lot of steps and bowls, but they ARE the best! I made 18, but thought I might, so made a little extra sugar/lemon zest and it was perfect! I’ve eaten 3 already – yikes! Off to clean up my kitchen before making your french bread to go with the stew.
Mel these are AMAZING!!! I didn’t have buttermilk so I did the milk and lemon juice trick and it added just enough extra lemon to the batter. Awesome recipe, as usual! Thank you!
I didn’t have blueberries so I used a combination of raspberries and strawberries. I make never make them with blueberries they were sooo good!
Mel, I know you substitute whole wheat flour quite often, but I can’t tell if you have tried that with these. I was thinking I would make them with WW pastry flour (soft white wheat). Thanks!
Hi Jodi – the most I’ve subbed wheat flour in these muffins is half wheat flour (white wheat) and half all-purpose. It makes them a tad bit more dense but still delicious.
Made these with fresh blueberries yesterday. A little more work than my usual Joy of Cooking muffins, but sooooo worth it. Hands down best blueberry muffins I have ever made!
Mel – These are delicious! Thanks so much for sharing. I made them for a MOPS meeting this morning and got a thumbs up from across the room =). I love your site!!
sorry it would help if I had read things through! I see 375f
Hi,
I can’t see anywhere what the temp should be. I would never assume anything in baking. Most recipes say either 375f or 400f. If you could advise that would be great.
Thanks.
Hi Mel,
Do you recommed making these in the morning or is it okay to make them the night before? I am taking them to a get together. Thanks!!
Stacey – if you have time, I’d recommend making them the morning of. They are best as fresh as can be.
Nikki – the temperature is stated in the the second paragraph of the instructions: 375 degrees F.
Fantastic!
I made a batch yesterday and they didn’t even last 24 hours. Tonight I decided to make them again, but instead I used some strawberries… the were wonderful too!! I didn’t do the sugar topping with the strawberry ones, but I will definetly say that I’ll be making them again, both ways!!
Hi Mel, I decided to make these muffins for my husband and kids and they were fabulous! My husband said they were the best blueberry muffins he’s tasted. I don’t usually eat blueberry muffins because I don’t like them but I really liked these. I’ve made 2 batches in 3 days and my kids are begging me to make more. I will be making these often!
And for a buttermilk substitute, I used lemon juice to curdle my milk. It worked great. Just a tablespoon of lemon juice and then fill up to the cup level in a measuring cup and let it stand while you do the rest of the recipe. By the time you’re ready to add it, you have buttermilk!
This muffin was great – thanks for the recipe! It had a really nice crumb to it, and it tasted delicious. I didn’t have enough blueberries, so I used half blueberry/half cranberry and loved it.
I forgot to top it with sugar before baking, so instead I poked holes in the muffins once they came out of the oven and used a lemon glaze – so good. I would like to try it with the sugar too, though. Will definitely make these again 🙂
I made these today for a church potluck, but I had to use the ingredients that I had on hand. Mixed frozen berries from Schwans, and lime zest instead of lemon. Delicious!
I have made these muffins several times, but when I started to make them this morning I noticed I had no buttermilk, so in a panic I substituted sour cream. They turned out awesome just as good as buttermilk. This is such a great recipe and the lemon is the finishing touch. I also mixed blackberries in with the blueberries. Absolutely delicious!
Cyndi, was it a 1 to 1 substitute?
I just made these, very delicious – and worth the 20 minute clean up after dumping the blueberry slurry on the kitchen floor!
evina – I think that should work, although I’ve never tried it. You might want to thin it down with a bit of regular milk.
Can I substitute buttermilk with sour cream? Because it’s hard to find buttermilk in my country. Thank you
OMG! I felt like a pro after i made this muffin.. These are sooooooooooooooo good.. Thanks so much!!
Ok, seriously. There are not even words to describe these muffins. Let the fact that in the last 2 days I have probably eaten 8 speak for itself. I have been dreaming up things I can top with lemon sugar. Mel, would you send me a picture of yourself that I can frame and hang in my kitchen?
thanks for posting this! I have been searching for THE blueberry muffin recipe and this is it! I made a double batch of these on Sat (did the part where you boil them w/ sugar also). They were so perfect!! I gave them to several neighbors and got many compliments.
I made these today with fresh blueberries. Amazing!
I used regular sized muffin tins with cupcake liners and filled them 1/2 way full so as to not have them too large and that was just right to yield 21 muffins. Also, I used one extra large lemon and ended up with 2 teaspoons lemon zest so I put one in the batter and one in the topping. Because I ended up with more muffins than the recipe calls for, I think I would double the lemon topping next time to get more of the crumble effect on top. Besides, it is just that delicious! I also used reduced fat buttermilk to save some calories and the results were good (my husband ate four in one sitting). I, too, reduced the baking time to 15 minutes for my oven and sized muffins and that was perfect.
Finally, I was wondering if you could reduce the amount of vanilla extract and replace it with some lemon extract instead for some additional lemon flavor. Just curious if you have ever tried that, Mel.
I’m gonna definitely make these again and also try substituting the blueberries with raspberries. I think that would be heavenly with the lemon topping. Anyway, thanks for another great recipe! I *heart* your blog and am slowly working through your recipes! My husband and I thank you for making me a better cook!
Just went to the blueberry farm yesterday and picked 18 lbs. (at $2/lb. I HAD to stock the freezer!) so I have been searching for a different muffin recipe to try. Do believe it will have to be this one!! Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow!! 🙂
That lemon zest sugar mixture was genius! It gave the muffin that extra boost of flavor and texture. Soooooo good!
Have these in the oven right now—I live in FL and we went blueberry picking today, got 2 lbs for $5. That’s always the best, because we make sure the full two pounds are only the fattest, bluest berries. But don’t worry, we are punished here with heat and humidity so don’t be too jealous. I’m crazy for this lemon sugar topping—thanks for a great recipe!
This recipe is amazing! I worked as the lead pastry chef at a bakery for four years, and this is by far one of the best blueberry muffin recipes I’ve tried. Looking forward to trying your other recipes!
Nice recipe 🙂 I love blueberry muffins… Such a great snack.
Here’s another recipe you might like.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/recipes/blueberry-muffin-recipe/
Thanks for sharing.
Nat
Hi! Thank you so much for your recipe. My mom shared with me and it was amazing! These have it all.. The look, the taste, the texture.. Bravo! One question for those of you cooks who are WAY more experienced than myself.. If I were to prepare everything the night before (the batter, the blueberry topping, and the sugar topping) then assemble and cook the next morning, would I have the same results? Obviously trying will be an easy way to find out but I wanted to see if anyone else had tried this before I wasted my time. Thanks!
These are so delicious! Made them again with coconut & white chocolate chips sprinkled with toasted coconut for another yummy hit! Love your website – always know I can trust your recipes!
These are so yummy. I subbed half of the flour with whole white wheat, and used applesauce instead of the oil. They turned out delicious! Another great recipe! I plan to freeze them so I don’t eat them all in one day, which is very possible. Hope they freeze well!
So tasty! I love the lemon-sugar topping! Mmmmm!
I LOVED these muffins…and the zest was a gourmet touch!!
I’ve seen this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen and I’ve wanted to try it. They were so good! For some reason my batter made 23 muffins but I’m not complaining. I especially loved the lemon zest. It was a great combination with the fresh blueberries.
I just made these muffins today, step by step and they were fantastic! I made 12 huge muffins, and now three hours later, only 4 are left! This will be my ultimate go to blueberry muffing recipe and thank you for sharing it 🙂
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM…………………………….
I wish I had some of those soft-tasty-fluffy-looking muffins in my mouth right now!
I made these today only I had to sub orange zest for lemon since that’s what I had. They were so delicious. The citrus adds a great flavor. I want to try these with lemon now because I bet they are even better with the lemon.
These were so moist! Loved them! Thanks Mel for another great one.
I read this recipe the other day and having been thinking about it ever since. Well I had a lot of raspberries in my fridge that I was worrying about going bad so after dinner tonight (which incidentally was your roasted garlic and cauliflower pasta recipe…fabluous as well!) I made these with raspberries instead and they turned out phenomenal! Your recipes are always incredible! Thanks for sharing them!
I have made these with assorted frozen berries and chocolate chips, blueberries and now peaches. The are soo yummy! I did frozen peaches that I had partially thawed and mixed into the flour. I sprinkled the top with sugar. The kids LOVED them! Thanks for yet another “Best” recipe!
probably a silly question BUT… could i use muffin/cupcake liners with these or would they stick to the paper? I do have some of the oh so fabulous bakers joy if the liners are no bueno with this recipe… 🙂
Megan – I’m not sure why but your “no bueno” made me giggle. Anyhow, onto your question – yes, you can definitely use muffin liners. I do it both ways – liners or sans muffins liners – and works great both ways!
Amazingly delicious! I’ve been looking for a better blueberry muffin recipe for quite a while and I’ve finally found one! I love your blog! Now when I sit down to plan out my menu I go to your blog first for ideas. Thanks!
Thanks, Rosalee – what a nice comment!
A friend of mine told me about your blog a few months ago and this was the first recipe I tried. I made them twice in one month (two weekends in a row, I think). Oh my goodness! These really are the best blueberry muffins! The cooked berry mixture and the lemon sugar topping really take these to the next level. Don’t skimp on that topping! I loved how it made a nice, crunchy crust on top. I was floored when I took that first bite – right out of the oven! I couldn’t resist.
My first batch was very slightly overcooked. I dropped the second batch to just 16 minutes and that was perfect for my oven. I almost always err on the side of under baking and that’s definitely key for these little beauties. They were so moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing these!
Tiffiny – I’m glad you found your way to my blog! And I’m even more happy that you loved these muffins. Thanks for letting me know!
Would it be possible to substitute the milk powder for regular milk?
Mel- I’m new to the whole fresh zest thing… how much lemon zest did you use approx? Like 1 T, 1 tsp? Help a girl out 🙂
Katie – it is probably about 1-2 teaspoons zest from one lemon.
oh mel….finding this muffin recipe is both a blessing and a curse 😉 a blessing because i can now finally say i’ve found the perfect blueberry muffin recipe! it’s been a LONG pursuit, believe me! a curse because after trying these this morning i ate 2…………. and 3/4 of 1, shhhhhhhh! don’t tell anyone….(willpower is something i struggle with when it comes to baked goods)…so now the bridesmaid dress i have hanging in the closet that i’m supposed to wear in 9 days might be a little snug…lol…oh well….totally worth it! these are AMAZING! you never let me down girl!
Tobi – I guess I should say I’m sorry! But really, I’m glad you’ve found “the one” when it comes to blueberry muffins. I feel exactly the same way you do about these beauties (and incidentally, it sounds like I have about as much self-control!).
These sound so yummy! Can I substitute the buttermilk with anything? Thanks!
Colleen, I can’t guarantee the results without actually using buttermilk, but you could try subbing plain yogurt or making your own buttermilk with milk and lemon juice (I think the sub is 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 1 cup milk).
Love the new pictures. These blueberry muffins have become our favorite too. They are fabulous!!
Just made these… LOVE THEM!, me, hubby, and friends tried it and loved the lemon addition! I will surely make them again… SOON!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks, Susan and Janel! I just made a double batch of these the other night, too. Love them!
These are the best muffins ever! The lemon compliments the blueberries perfeclty and the sugary stuff on top – divine!
Wow…these look perfect! I love to see how moist they are and all the blueberries there. Blueberry muffins are my favourite. Thanks very much for sharing.
That crust looks incredible! What a treat these would be with a cup of tea.
These are the bomb-diggity! I made them last night since I never get up early enough to bake in the morning. So of course we had to have a few as soon as they were out of the oven. I thought they were wonderful but was sure that by morning, the nice texture would have turned dense and less moist as so many muffins do. Not so! This morning they tasted even better, IMO, even at room temperature, which is amazing. Still sooo moist and tender, it’s amazing. BTW, my muffin cups were so full that they all sort of baked up and over and into each other. I think next time I will make 14 muffins.
Veronica – these are hands down my favorite muffins and I’m glad you liked them, too (even the next day!). Thanks for the comment.
I’m not a huge fan of blueberries but when I saw these I had to make them. And boy was I pleasantly surprised. Seriously, they are amazing and very moist.
Thanks Ariane – so glad you liked them!
Melanie, these were so good… and really pretty too. i’m sure they’ll be a hit at the bake sale tomorrow! i also made your cream cheese pumpkin muffins that were delicious….but i’ll leave a comment there as well~
Jeanette – you’ve been on a muffin kick! I’m glad you liked these, too! I hope they sell well at the bake sale.
Hi~ I bought the ingredients to make these for this coming weekend. Our youth group is hosting a bake sale and I thought these would be perfect. Do you know if they can be made ahead of time and frozen without compromising the taste? Thanks for all the great recipes!!!
Hi Jeanette! I have never frozen these but my gut instinct tells me you could probably get away with it and be fine. I don’t see why they wouldn’t freeze well. Let me know if you try it!
“The world’s most perfect muffin” is really the title I would give these. I made them the first time following the recipe and they were delicious and disappeared fast. However, I didn’t get the same amount of lemon in each bite and really was left wanting a little more lemon. So I made them again this morning by the recipe except that I added the zest of a second lemon to the wet ingredients. The result: balanced lemon flavor in a sea of blueberry delight. Definitely the most perfect muffin in the world. How do I really say thank you for such a recipe? I don’t know, but for what it’s worth THANK YOU MEL!!!!
Brittany – more lemon is always better and I’m glad you made the adjustment that helped you love these even more!
I made these muffins this morning… I felt like I just bought gourmet muffins from the bakery, they were THAT good! I love the lemon flavor and the crunch layer at the top, just so yummy. Definately my go-to recipe for blueberry muffins–amazing texture and taste! Thanks Melanie!
Chavah – I agree, these are absolutely gourmet! I’m so glad that you liked them…thanks for letting me know!
Yum. That’s all I have to say. Just made them and they are just as fabulous as everyone else has said! Thanks Mel!
Thanks, Steph! I’m glad you liked these…they are definitely my favorite blueberry muffins of all time.
Angie – I have to agree with your husband, these are probably my favorite muffins ever. So glad they were a hit!
I made these yesterday. They turned out WONDERFUL. My husband came home and while stuffing it in his mouth managed to say "these are the best muffins ever!" So thank you!
I made these with all white whole-wheat flour and used 2 T. less of sugar — amazing. I thought they were better this way than when I made the original recipe. The magazine also had a recipe for an Almond version and they also were magnificent!
Angie
Angie – thanks for letting me know your changes on this recipe and that you liked it. I think it’s awesome they turned out so well with whole wheat flour, I’ll definitely have to try that next time!
Colleen – glad you liked these. I’m on my way over to check out your post.
Anonymous – what a great idea to add lemon zest into the batter. I bet the zing of the lemon helps cut the sweetness of the muffin. Thanks for letting me know!
Sierra – glad you liked these!
Amber – that’s not a problem at all if you want to blog about them – that’s the best part of trying a new great recipe…sharing it!
I love the addition of the lemon zest with the sugar. I can’t wait to try these.
ohhhh I am going to make these soon. I can’t wait to try them, thanks!!
These are amazing and so tempting…:)
I’m all for frozen blueberries at this time of year. This looks delcious! Starred!
I always thought lemon and blueberries were a great combination, these look wonderful!
mmmm just made this 🙂 they’re delish!
i love the idea of a crispy topping on a muffin, and the fact that it’s lemony is just delightful. excellent blueberry muffin, melanie. ci has disappointed me before, but this is clearly a winner.
My husband & I LOVED these muffins! The best blueberry muffins we’ve ever eaten! Thanks for sharing! I hope it’s ok if I blog about them to share with my family! Thanks!
Hi Melanie! I just posted these – they were delicious!
These DO look out of the world. I have had the recipe printed from CI for a while now and have yet to bake them.
Smacking my lips. Definitely saving this to try soon. I love blueberry muffins. And I hear you about the high cost of fresh ANYTHING in our little city!
MMMMMMM..Looks really lovely & yummie 8)!!!
I love these muffins! Made them twice in one week. I did add lemon zest to the muffin the second time and liked it better. It made it so the muffin wasn’t so sweet. But very popular around our neighborhood!
I stumbled across your blog a few weeks ago and this is the first recipe that I have been able to try out. They were delicious! There will be many more made in my house. Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us!
Michele – thanks for your comment. I’m glad you tried and loved these muffins. They are some of my very, very favorites. I need to remake them so I can take a better picture! Anyhow, thanks for letting me know you liked them.
I made these with huckleberries 🙂 They were tart but very tasty!
Best homemade muffins I’ve ever made!! So moist and the crunchy sugar with lemon zest on top…mmmm
Molly – these were the best homemade muffins I had ever come across, too, so I’m really excited that you liked them as well. Thanks for letting me know!
Melanee – oooh, I am VERY jealous about the huckleberries. Did you pick a lot this year??
We have a whole freezer full! I made pancakes with them this morning and they were awesome. Such a great blueberry substitute 🙂
how many muffins does this recipe make? i would love to try it for a breakfast meeting but i need ot know if i should double it. Thanks!
Hi Jo – this recipe makes about 12 muffins (possibly 14 if you stretch the batter).