merrifood

Best blueberry muffins

Posted by merrifood on July 9, 2013 · 2 Comments 

I love a good muffin, and since I’ve gotten a really versatile mini muffin silicone pan, I enjoy looking for new muffin recipes to make in it whenever I can.  Like a good brownie or chocolate chip cookie, I think a classic blueberry muffin recipe is a must for anyone’s baking arsenal.  I’ve made quite a few blueberry muffins in my day but this is by far the best recipe I’ve tried yet. As I’ve said many times, Smitten Kitchen is one of my favourite food blogs out there, and it never fails me.  I love this take on a classic muffin recipe that uses softened butter instead of melted and basically takes a cookie dough approach to muffin batter.  I also love the addition of lemon zest which balances the blueberries out nicely.

It certainly isn’t the healthiest recipe out there, but when they are mini, they are the perfect addition to an otherwise healthy breakfast, right?  Plus, I think muffins are basically just a breakfast excuse for cupcakes, so you may as well start off the recipe as if you’re making a cookie dough, and you can’t go wrong.  You can easily use frozen blueberries which is nice since it means you can make them any time of year!

Best blueberry muffins (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

70 grams unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don’t bother defrosting)

Preheat oven to 190 C / 375 F.  Prepare either a mini muffin tin or a normal muffin tin – the recipe will make about 10 normal muffins and 20-24 mini muffins.  I have a great little mini muffin silicon pan that I always use.

Beat butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy, like what you would do with the start of a cookie recipe.  Add egg and beat well, then yogurt and zest.  Put in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in, and then add about half the flour.  Mix until combined.  Then pour in the remaining flour and mix just until the flour disappears. Gently fold in your blueberries. The dough will be quite thick, closer to a cookie dough than a typical muffin batter.  Just use a spoon to scoop it out and fill the muffin cups. Fill them about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for about 15 minutes, but check sooner.  You want the tops to be golden and when you insert a toothpick into the centre it should be clean. Remove and let them cool (or not if you want to taste them warm, since that’s obviously amazing).

Creaming butter and sugar

Adding in the yogurt and lemon zest

Once the dry ingredients and blueberries are mixed in, fill the muffin cups

Finished delightful golden brown mini muffins. Hello perfect breakfast treat.

True to Smitten Kitchen form, these are definitely among the best muffins I’ve ever tasted.  You could substitute a mix of frozen berries as well for some variety.  Definitely use Greek yogurt if you can – I loved the tang it added to the muffins along with the lemon zest.  These are also so easy to whip up (as long as you’ve made sure the butter is softened ahead of time).  You can make them ahead of time and then just warm them up for breakfast during the week, or they would be a perfect addition to a homemade weekend brunch!