World's Best Fresh Blueberry Muffins are filled with blueberries and a bit of homemade blueberry jam!
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping:
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsgrated lemon zest
Muffins and cooked berry mixture:
2cupsfresh blueberries, rinsed and divided
1 1/4cup + 1 teaspoonsugar, divided
4tablespoonsunsalted butter, room temperature or softened in microwave
2eggs
¼cupvegetable oil or coconut oil
3/4cupbuttermilk, shaken
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2 1/2cupsflour
2 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
Instructions
FOR TOPPING:
Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
FOR MUFFINS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and set rack in center of oven. Spray inside of muffin tin with cooking spray.
Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with large spoon or potato masher until mixture is thickened and reduced to 1/3-1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked blueberry mixture to small bowl and place in refrigerator while preparing muffin batter. This can also be made a day or two ahead of time.
Place 1 1/4 cups sugar, and softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Mix until blended. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla to bowl. Mix until blended on medium speed. Turn off mixer.
Dump flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into the bowl of wet ingredients. Turn mixer to low and mix just until the flour dissapears and there are no longer any white streaks in the batter. Do not over mix. Do not mix on high speed.
Using a spatula or large spoon, fold (in about 3-4 turns) remaining 1 cup of blueberries into batter until incorporated.
Use cookie scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly).
Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture on top of each mound of batter. Sprinkle lemon sugar over muffins. See photos on post.
Bake until muffin tops are golden, 18 to 20 minutes, rotate muffin tin halfway through baking time if needed. Insert a toothpick into center of muffin to test for doneness.
Cool muffins in tin for 5 minutes, then remove and set on wire rack and let cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
If buttermilk is not available, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt.
I like to use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to get uniform scoops of batter into the muffin tin.
If you find your blueberries are sinking, you may add the blueberries to the flour mixture and fold once all together )instead of folding the berries in after the dry and wet mixture are combined), just until flour disappears. The flour coating the berries will help prevent sinking of the berries in the muffins.
Do not thaw frozen berries before using. Simply add to the batter frozen.