Best Blueberry Muffins with Frozen Blueberries
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 11, 2012
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping
⅓ cup sugar (2 ⅓ ounces/66 grams)1 ½ teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemonMuffins
2 cups frozen blueberries 1 ⅛ cups sugar (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 1 teaspoon2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 ½ ounces/354 grams)2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon table salt 2 large eggs 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (½ stick)¼ cup vegetable oil 1 cup buttermilk (see note)1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extractBefore You Begin
If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk. Our favorite brands of frozen blueberries are Wyman's and Cascadian Farm.
Instructions
- Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Rinse remaining cup berries under cold water and dry well. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Toss dried blueberries in flour mixture. Then, using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into blueberries and flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)
- Following photos below, use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.
- Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
for the topping
for the muffins
Time
1½ hoursYield
Makes 12 muffinsIngredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping
⅓ cup sugar (2 ⅓ ounces/66 grams)
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 ⅛ cups sugar (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 1 teaspoon
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 ½ ounces/354 grams)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (½ stick)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (see note)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping
⅓ cup sugar (2 ⅓ ounces/66 grams)
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 ⅛ cups sugar (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 1 teaspoon
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 ½ ounces/354 grams)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (½ stick)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (see note)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping
⅓ cup sugar (2 ⅓ ounces/66 grams)
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 ⅛ cups sugar (8 ounces/227 grams) plus 1 teaspoon
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 ½ ounces/354 grams)
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (½ stick)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (see note)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We didn’t want the fruit in our blueberry muffin recipe to have the lackluster, watery taste so common in many other recipes. Cooking some of the berries in sugar and adding our cooled homemade jam to the batter along with fresh, uncooked berries gave our muffin recipe the best of both worlds: intense blueberry flavor and the liquid burst that only fresh berries can provide.
Before You Begin
If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk. Our favorite brands of frozen blueberries are Wyman's and Cascadian Farm.
Instructions
- Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Rinse remaining cup berries under cold water and dry well. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Toss dried blueberries in flour mixture. Then, using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into blueberries and flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)
- Following photos below, use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.
- Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
for the topping
for the muffins
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