Zach and Alex have both brought homemade blueberry muffins to their breakfast potlucks at school. I let them choose whatever they wanted to bring (except store bought donuts) and they both chose blueberry muffins. I’ve been trying a lot of blueberry muffins recipes over the past few months, looking for that one that I’ll make over and over for years. I’ve got it narrowed down to two really good ones. I tried recipes with no topping, recipes with strudel topping, and recipes with a plain sugar topping. We all decided a sprinkling of sugar on top was best. Strudel made the muffins too sweet, and added the flavor of cinnamon or brown sugar, neither of which belong in a blueberry muffin, in my opinion. I also eliminated any recipes that made less than 12 muffins. The two remaining recipes are equally good, and I’ve been alternating based on whether or not I have plain yogurt/sour cream on hand. The recipe without the yogurt/sour cream calls for butter, and warns “no substitutes”. Yeah right, that’s like a dare. I’m making them with vegetable oil next time. I’ve also been experimenting with frozen blueberries. My local Kroger store carries “frozen blueberries”, which are HUGE, and “frozen wild blueberries”, which are much smaller. The wild blueberries turned my batter blue, and they look more like the berries from the package mix blueberry muffins. I kind of like the huge blueberries. They make unusual, gourmet looking muffins.
Right now I think I like the yogurt/sour cream version the best. These muffins are a little bit lighter, and very large. The batter could easily be divided into 14 muffins. I eliminated the vanilla from both recipes because I can’t taste it anyway and vanilla extract isn’t cheap.
This version is based on a recipe by King Arthur’s Flour.
I also like this recipe baked in the form of blueberry muffin bread. I use my large 5 x 9 inch loaf pan, the one I bought for Lemon Ricotta Cake. Instead of dividing the batter into 12 muffins, pour it into a prepared loaf pan and bake for 65 minutes. Although a well-greased loaf pan is sufficient, I like to cut a strip of parchment paper and line the bottom and ends of the loaf pan with it. The paper will extend our a bit on the ends, which also makes it easier to remove the loaf from the pan by pulling up on the paper. Either way – muffins or bread – this recipe is delicious and easy.
Blueberry Muffins with Sour Cream
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup water or milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a 12-muffin pan by either greasing the pan or using paper liners.
- Mix dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl.
- Add vegetable oil and sour cream or yogurt. Beat eggs and add them to the batter. I used plain greek yogurt, so I had to add an additional 1/3 cup of water to make a batter instead of a dough. Stir until thoroughly moistened.
- Fold in the blueberries.
- Divide the batter into 12 muffins, or a greased and parchment lined 5 x 9 in. loaf pan.
- Sprinkle the tops with the reserved granulated sugar.
- Bake muffins for 18-24 minutes (choose the shorter time for fresh blueberries, and the longer time for frozen blueberries). Makes 12 large muffins.
- For a blueberry muffin loaf, bake 65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
This version is based on a recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens website. The one in my old cookbook is not the same, and not as good.
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cup milk
½ cup melted butter (no substitutes)
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for topping
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a 12 muffin tin by either greasing or lining with paper baking liners. Stir together flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add milk, beaten eggs, and melted butter all at once and stir to combine. Batter will be sticky and thick and a little lumpy. Gently add in blueberries. Spoon into prepared muffin tins, dividing batter evenly to form 12 muffins. Each muffin cup will be almost full. Sprinkle the tops with the reserved 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
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