The Classics: Blueberry Muffins

It’s time for another installment of The Classics on the blog. All this means is that it’s time for me to share another simple and delicious recipe with you that requires no effort at all to make. These are the recipes I think we should all have in our repertoire, ready to be pulled out from up our sleeves when the need arises. This week, I’m sharing The Classics: Blueberry Muffins. The best thing about blueberry muffins, or any muffin for that matter, is that they can be eaten for breakfast without any judgement from anyone. You’re basically eating cake first thing in the morning, and no one will ever stop you. Muffins are magical for that reason alone. That and because they’re super easy to make, which means you can eat them faster. That’s very important when you’re craving something sweet. 

You might’ve of seen on my Instagram by now that I’ve been doing some work for Food.com. Each month I’ve been reshooting some of their most popular recipes. Along with shooting a few special projects for them that I’ll be able to share with you in the coming months. It’s been a lot of fun and so I thought to commemorate this great partnership, I’d adapt their most sweetest blueberry muffins recipe and share it with you guys here. I hate giving something the title of “best…I’ve ever eaten” because I feel like if I say it too often it’ll lose it’s value fast. However, I will break my rule this time and say that these really are the BEST blueberry muffins I’ve ever had. I swapped out the milk for buttermilk (because I always use buttermilk for my cake batters to keep them from drying out), I added some fresh nutmeg for a little pizazz and topped the muffins with a simple crumb topping because I love muffins with a streusel topping. It reminds me of coffee cake but studded with blueberries wrapped up in muffin form. Make them this week and keep them on hand for breakfast or brunch. You’ll thank me later.  

Let’s get started by making the crumb topping for the muffins. I happen to really love crumb toppings on coffee cake and muffins. I like the difference of texture within these muffins. The base is soft, while the topping is crunchy and crispy. It’s the best of both worlds. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and butter until crumbly and the butter resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. 

**Tip: You can make a big batch of this crumb topping and keep it in the freezer in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. You can keep it in there and use it whenever you’re making these muffins, or pie, or coffee cake!**

The batter is as basic as batters come. Cream together the butter and sugar on high, until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Then add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg) alternately with the buttermilk, making sure to start and end with the dry ingredients. Fold in the blueberries and then scoop the batter into a standard muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Top with crumb topping. 

**Note: Make sure you do not over-mix the batter at this stage. After each addition of flour and buttermilk, stir until just combined.**

Bake until golden brown, puffed up, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

These muffins can be kept at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container, for up to 2 days. Or they can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let them come down to room temperature before eating. 

These muffins are best with fresh blueberries, but if you can’t find any at your local grocery store or they’re just not in season, you can use frozen blueberries. A couple things you’ll have to keep in mind though, make sure the blueberries are thawed completely and make sure you drain them well in a colander before adding them to the batter. 

**Tip: You don’t want to add too much excess moisture to the batter, so draining the thawed blueberries well is very important!**

This muffin batter is a classic for a reason! Feel free to change up the flavorings any way you’d like. If blueberries aren’t your thing or aren’t in season (again) try switching it out for dried cherries or cranberries or even chocolate chips. Fresh raspberries or blackberries would be delicious as well. It’s a basic recipe that you can use as a blueprint for all of your muffin needs. 

My mom loves blueberry muffins in the morning with butter. Now, I’ve never been a butter on my blueberry muffins type of person, but if you are anything like my mamma, then by all means slather these with butter. Maybe one day I’ll be a believer. 

If you really want to take these over the top, because you plan on serving them for dessert instead of breakfast, try dusting them with a bit of powdered sugar on top right before serving. It’ll give them a bakery look that will make them even better. But really, these muffins are so good on their own, that they don’t need much sprucing up at all. 

If you make this recipe, along with any other recipe from the site, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram or Facebook and tag me and hashtag it with #CandidAppetite or #TheCandidAppetite. Once you start making these Classics recipes, be sure to also tag it with #TCAclassics! I’ll be monitoring it all closely and share my favorites throughout! Happy Cooking!

Blueberry Muffins

These blueberry muffins are the best blueberry muffins you'll ever have. They're easy to make and irresistibly delicious!

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

• 2 ⁄3 cup oats
• 4 1/2 stick tablespoons butter, diced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 1 ⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 ⁄2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 2 1 ⁄2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a standard muffin pan with paper liners, and set aside.
• To make the topping, in a large bowl, mix together the oats, butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda until well combined and the butter resembles coarse crumbs, the size of peas. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, making sure to start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the blueberries.
• Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon topping and give them a gently tap with your fingers to slightly pack down the crumb topping. Bake until golden brown, puffed up, and a toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Leftovers can be store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite