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Blueberry Muffins

Posted by Elise on Jul 1, 2006

Filed under Bakery, Dessert, Seasonal Favorites: Summer

Blueberry Muffins

There are three things I have a hard time resisting - my dad's tapioca pudding, Belgian dark chocolate, and freshly baked blueberry muffins. Muffins are not as easy to get right as one might think. Too dry, too dense, to sugary - these are all problems that one can encounter when trying to bake the perfect muffin. This blueberry muffin recipe however, from The Best Recipe cookbook, makes them just right - light, fluffy, and full of blueberries.

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Blueberry Muffins Recipe

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • 1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)

Method

1 Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3 In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.

4 Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.

5 Use standard 12-muffin muffin tins. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or grapeseed oil using a pastry brush, or with a little butter. Or use one of those convenient vegetable oil sprays. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the centers of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.

Yield: Makes 12-16 muffins.

Indexed: Blueberry, Muffin

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115 Comments

dear Elise, thank you for sharing.
I've tried your blackberry muffin recipe before and like it loooots!!
comparing these 2 kinda berry muffins, which one you like more yourself?

I noticed in this recipe, they use both baking powder & baking soda...I am just wondering why
they use both instead just baking powder...

have a good time~~.

Note from Elise: I like both of the recipes. The blueberry one is a bit lighter, the blackberry a bit denser. Regarding baking soda and baking powder, baking soda is a pure base, baking powder is a combination of baking soda and a dry acid. The combination of these leavening agents has to do with chemistry and how acids and bases react (like vinegar and baking soda) to create bubbles. If you have something acidic in the batter, like yogurt or buttermilk, you might need more base than what you would get with just baking powder, therefore the addition of baking soda.

Posted by: mars on September 7, 2005 9:54 PM

oh dear elise!!!! thanks so much for the blueberry muffin recipe!! I used the blackberry muffin and it works wonders but I'm going to try the blueberry muffin either today or tomorrow! I'm so glad! Thanks so much!

Posted by: janice on September 9, 2005 1:12 AM

Best blueberry muffin I've ever tasted! Much better than my old recipe. My whole family loves them. Light, moist, and fluffy, three in one! If a 12 year old can make them first try, anyone can.

Posted by: ari on September 11, 2005 5:38 AM

These are amazing - I replaced the lemmon zest with orange and cut down on the sugar a bit, but these are just wonderful.

Posted by: Lia on January 19, 2006 8:37 AM

I made these last night with no lemon zest (didn't have any) and buttermilk instead of yoghurt and they are divine! I must see if I can find this book, it sounds perfect.

Posted by: Helen on March 22, 2006 4:21 AM

What can I say? I brought them to work and they were gone in NO TIME (and my collegues are quite picky...)! That also goes for your strawberry rhubarb pie! Thank you again from Germany for your amazing recipes!

Posted by: Susanne on June 22, 2006 3:25 AM

I really like the Best Recipe book, we used to call it 'The Bible' ^_~ I've made those muffins before, and I have to say they're the only successful muffins I've ever made (the rest were more like dense cupcakes)! :D

Posted by: chyuki on July 2, 2006 10:05 AM

Thanks for the awesome recipe! I seemed to have an abundance of about-to-go-bad blueberries and had no idea what to do with them until I realized I had never made muffins before. Good thing I stumbled upon this recipe first before trying any others - it seems like most people have trouble making good muffins. These are honestly one of the best muffins I've ever had and my family concurs! Thanks!

Posted by: Melissa on July 2, 2006 7:20 PM

I made these this morning as Whole Foods had a BIG display of blueberries and I just couldn't resist.

I'm at my MIL's and she took her mixer to the beach (along with the beaters to the hand mixer) so I did the beating by hand - OY! Or should I say Ow! However, I was quite sure that I wasn't in any danger of over beating LOL.

My batter looked like way too much to fill the standard 12-cup muffin tray so I overfilled the muffin tray and then made a set of 12 mini muffins. Worked out perfectly because the kids thought the mini muffins were cool.

Also, I used nonfat plain yogurt as that's all we had and the muffins were delicious. Thanks for the recipe. AND the cookbook recommendation.

Posted by: jgsearls on July 7, 2006 8:46 AM

Made these a second time, this time using my mom's stand-up mixer, which got the eggs, sugar, and butter really fluffy before I added the dry ingredients. The muffins came out much lighter, still very soft and moist.

Posted by: Lisa on July 26, 2006 11:17 AM

Could someone tell me the exact weight in grams for a cup of flour used in your blueberry Muffin-Bakery Style (recipe adapted from THE BEST RECIPE)? Some info gave the weight of a cup of flour as 140gm, some as 125gm and some as 150gm. Thank You. Hope to try it out soon.

Posted by: Faith on July 30, 2006 10:19 PM

Hi, I tried baking the muffins. For a cup of flour, I measured as 125gm (each cup) and I got lovely muffins. Thanks for sharing, Faith.

Posted by: Faith on August 7, 2006 6:23 AM

The Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipe book has these same muffins, only using 4 tbsp butter, and substituting 1 cup of cake flour for one of the all-purpose flour...they were still delicious; probably one of the best blueberry muffins I've ever had! Thank you for posting these!!!

Posted by: Anonymous on August 20, 2006 11:07 AM

Wanna try something delish? Try sprinkling a little mixture of sugar and cinnamon on them before baking them...they are to die for!!!

Posted by: Jodi on October 13, 2006 12:01 PM

I don't know how all you people got eatable muffins out of this. I got bricks. Perhaps cutting the flour in half would work?!?!?!?!?!?

Posted by: Andrei Tallent on January 23, 2007 4:31 PM

Hi Andrei,
Sounds like perhaps you over-mixed the muffin dough? That would make any muffin rubbery, or "brick-like". Also, make sure you don't pack down the flour as you measure. Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with a blunt knife edge. Another thing that could have caused your outcome is using baking powder that is past its prime. Baking powder only lasts 6 months, after which its rising power is greatly diminished. You pretty much have to throw it out after 6 months. This is why I tend to buy small tins of the stuff.

Posted by: Elise on January 23, 2007 5:29 PM

Absolutely wonderful muffins. Delicious flavor and incredible texture. Look no further!

Posted by: Gloriana on January 29, 2007 10:17 AM

Wow!! This recipe is incredible. I have never baked my entirely life and this is the first recipe that I try. I have to say that the taste is perfect. It's not too sweet. I use the non-fat plain yogurt and it tastes delicious. One thing though... I think mine didn't rise enough. It somehow became a scone instead of muffin...but great recipe!

thank you!

Posted by: Hoa on March 6, 2007 10:50 PM

These are terrific. One thing: How do you get the frozen blueberries to not stain the whole muffin? I drained them and dusted them and they bled everywhere. Wouldn't it be easier to mix them in when they're frozen? Just wondering-thanks.

Posted by: Sonia on March 11, 2007 6:12 AM

Hey Elise, thanks for this terrific recipe, I made some modification - due to my cheapness and laziness and obsession to health - and it tastes TERRIFIC. Very fluffy and produced a very very nice muffin top for a muffin top lover like me :P

@Sonia: I also had the same problem with frozen blueberry, but I didn't care anyway... but it'd be nice if I can get some tips on that too :)

Posted by: Janice Lo on March 15, 2007 7:43 PM

Elise,
These look delicious, muffins are one of my weakest spots (among many!) and blueberry most of all. I came across a very different recipe that also turned out good muffins and thought it was interesting - here it is:

1 cup oatmeal (old fashioned or quick oats)
1 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups blueberries (I use frozen)

Soak oatmeal in orange juice 15 minutes. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine oil, eggs,and oatmeal/oj mix in a large bowl, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add blueberries. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

We dip the tops of ours in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar. I love them!

Note from Elise: Thanks for the recipe, Amy!

Posted by: Amy on March 26, 2007 6:46 PM

Dear Elise,
The muffins are great- the yogurt adds a good tang. However, I have more (many more) than a standard 12-muffin pan. Generally, I say more is better but I only have one muffin pan :)!
Cheers, Kristine

Posted by: Kristine, Skylar and Elise on April 11, 2007 12:48 PM

These muffins really were amazing - I left out the lemon peel because I didn't have any and added a tablespoon of vanilla and they were just amazing. I will never make box muffins again! Also, my blueberries didn't run at all - I defrosted them, rinsed them off and then floured them - no blue muffins!

Posted by: Jessica on May 14, 2007 8:27 PM

I use this recipe all the time from the book. I've had success using the "short on time" method: melt the butter, mix with eggs, add to dry ingredients, add yogurt, then blueberries. The muffins may not be quite as light, but if I mix them until just combined (never use mixer for blueberries--always fold w/ spatula), they turn out fine. Also, if the butter is warm from being melted, add the eggs gradually so they don't cook. It's a good method when you have lots of company and realize you have to make two batches in a short amount of time. I always use frozen berries, and they really don't run. I just use them in straight from the freezer (not defrosted) and forego the flouring.

Posted by: allison on May 22, 2007 7:03 AM

I made this recipe yestrday, but since (HORROR!!) I don't have an oven, I made it in a "miracle mold" my-mother-in law gave me. This mold enables you to make bakery goods on the stove top. Even though I didn't make muffins per se, the bread turned out delicious. My husband loved it!!

Posted by: Ariadna on June 8, 2007 1:27 PM

Sonia - although you may have success using berries direct from the freezer, my experience is that the dough near the berries tends to be uncooked (maybe a few more minutes in the oven would solve that). I defrost the berries a little and then lay them on paper towels to soak up all of the liquid (careful not to stain your counter!), then I dust them with flour.

Posted by: Steve on June 14, 2007 5:57 AM

I made these last night after the baby was asleep and we ate the first two this morning at our desks at work. Then we voted and the result was unanimous: yummy! I've never baked muffins before and was surprised how quick and easy it was. Since I recently made the pineapple upside down cake recipe on this site, I've become taken with the idea of ground almonds mixed into the dough. So I added ground almonds to the recipe. Feeling that I was on a roll, I added extra lemon zest, about 2.5 tsps. Then I took the recommendation of another comment above, and mixed up cinnamon and brown sugar and also added ground coriander to the mixture. We're really very happy with these results.

Posted by: Another Elise on July 18, 2007 6:21 AM

I am new to baking and cooking and I made these muffins today. I wouldn't say they are the best muffins ever, but maybe I did something wrong. I thought they were somewhat tart, I had more batter than 12 muffins, and they came out very light in color, unlike the photo. Also, they weren't very moist, not dry but certainly not the best bb muffin I've ever had. Could anyone tell me what I might have done wrong?

Posted by: naomi on August 7, 2007 6:51 PM

I just made these yesterday and they are a huge hit. I used wholewheat flour and replaced part of it with bran, and used a mix of frozen blueberries and cherries. Deliciousness on a plate. Thanks, my foodie heroine :)

Posted by: Jane on September 10, 2007 11:05 AM

They came out great and fluffy/airy eventhough I goofed. Accidently dumped the butter,sugar and eggs together at the same time and beat all three of them...
I used a 12 muffin thingy but had enough for another tin of 12. Guess the recipe is for two tins, each with 6 bigger wells.

Posted by: marjan on September 12, 2007 10:15 PM

Whoa! This is great! I've been experimenting trying to come up with a blueberry muffin recipe that can stand up to the amount of blueberries I like and previous results have always been, ok yes, I'll admit it, awful. I halved your recipe which was enough for 12 muffins, added 1 cup blueberries and even with accidently adding 1 extra tbl butter and probably overmixing (couldn't believe how pretty the dough was--no curdling mess!), they were still fluffy and moist! Next batch should be even better. Appreciate the info about the baking soda and everyone's comments. Do you ever bake with a topping on your bb muffins?

Posted by: Lainie on January 30, 2008 4:49 AM

Wow! The lightest muffins I ever made. They turned out great. Love them.

Posted by: lorraine a. tait on February 1, 2008 6:09 AM

My boyfriend is totally obsessed with muffins--on a constant mission to find the best muffins in NYC--and he's very picky. Turns out, there are a lot of duds out there so I decided to take matters into my own hands--I found your recipe and gave it a shot. I used a giant muffin pan and the results were stellar. They were great hot-out-of-the-oven and I like them even more the next day. More importantly, my little muffin aficionado declared them the best muffins he's ever tasted. Wow. He ate muffins for every single meal until they were gone, I kid you not, and he kept giving me bear hugs.

I thought I was looking at a lifetime of tweaking recipes in order to satisfy him; but thanks to you, I nailed it the first time! Thanks for making me look like a baking genius!
Love your site--can't wait to try more recipes! THANK YOU

Posted by: Jen Sharkey on February 11, 2008 1:50 PM

These muffins are amazing. I mix all of the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately and then mix them altogether. It is often a little too dry, so I add about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of milk after combining the wet/dry ingredients and before I add the blueberries to make the stirring easier and prevent over-working the batter. It yielded 12 LARGE muffins (like the ones you see at the store/coffee shop!).

They freeze really well and taste almost oven-fresh when microwaved for 20 seconds after freezing!

Posted by: Karen on February 17, 2008 2:47 PM

I absolutely LOVED these muffins; I used non-fat plain yogurt and still fantastic :)

Posted by: madewithLOVE on April 8, 2008 3:13 AM

I have a question, I'm from the Philippines and we don't grow blueberries here, so we buy it in can with syrup, how would you adjust its consistency so that it won't run your muffin?

No idea. This recipe is not designed to work with blueberries packed in syrup in a can. If I were to try it, I would drain the blueberries from the syrup and use them that way. ~Elise

Posted by: Marisse on April 8, 2008 6:40 PM

is it possible to make bluberry muffins without the bluberries?

If you don't want blueberries in your muffins, you can just leave them out. ~Elise

Posted by: Miki on May 13, 2008 3:02 PM

Can you make the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge?

I haven't tried it, but I doubt that it would work. The base in the baking soda would react with the acid in the yogurt before the muffins baked, and the leavening that you should be getting with the muffins in the oven would be expired before the muffins even got to the oven. ~Elise

Posted by: youngCook on May 22, 2008 3:29 PM

I made these last week and was told that they were the "best blueberry muffins ever". I'm wondering how they would taste with banana? Would you use less yogurt?

Thanks for the amazing recipe!

No idea. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out. ~Elise

Posted by: deepali on May 29, 2008 12:49 PM

Dear Elise I was wondering what you could substitute the yogurt for?

Hi Lucy, baking is a lot like chemistry, usually to get the results you want you have to be pretty precise in the ingredients and method. For this recipe, there is no substitute for the yogurt. You might find another recipe online that uses a different set of ingredients, for example buttermilk, or sour cream. We have a blackberrymuffins recipe that uses sour cream, that you might try subbing blueberries for blackberries. ~Elise

Posted by: Lucy on June 9, 2008 7:06 PM

Brilliant recipe - also tried with raspberries and chunks of white chocolate. Yum! About to make them for the 2nd time.

Posted by: muffinmaker on June 30, 2008 9:34 AM

Hi everyone,
I tried this recipe last night! I did modify it a little because I didn't have any plain yogurt. I only had 2 indvidual sized containers of fit & active blueberry yogurt so I decided to use those and cut the sugar to 1/2 a cup since the yogurt had splenda in it. I got half way through the prep and realized the yogurt I had wasn't enough and ran out to the store to get low fat plain yogurt. Since I already cut the sugar i decided to use 3/4 cup blueberry yogurt & 3/4 cup plain! I also had so much blueberries in the fridge, I went ahead and used nearly the whole pint(I ate 1/4 cup while prepping) :) I cooked 30 minutes and ended up with about 20 HUGE muffins. They tasted pretty good too even though I pretty much butchered the recipe!! I will definitely make these again following the original recipe!

Posted by: Charlene on July 9, 2008 9:27 AM

These are DELICIOUS as is! I nearly always tweak recipes, but I did these as ordered and they're so great. Light, tangy/sweet, just right! I did end up with nearly 2 dozen muffins, but that just means that my brother and his wife will benefit. Thanks, Elise!

Posted by: Ange on July 13, 2008 5:28 PM

Dear Elise,

These are the perfect muffins I ever baked. I always thought one doesn't need to cream butter and sugar for muffins:( Like another comment, I too got 12 standard muffins + 12 mini muffins. The colour is just right, perfectly domed.. I'll taste it only tomorrow (I always bake late at night for whatever reason) but I know it's a killer! I wonder why I didn't know your site last summer.

Posted by: Latha on July 17, 2008 2:09 PM

These muffins are fantastic! I love how they are not too sweet and not too dense. Perfectly moist and fluffy with a gorgeous top. I'm tossing out all other berry recipes, this is the one!
Thanks!

Posted by: Brandie on July 27, 2008 10:27 PM

These were absolutely fabulous -- a big hit with me, and my colleagues! The best muffins I've ever had. They are fluffy AND moist, and the lemon gives them the perfect hint of brightness. Thank you!!!! :-)

Posted by: Jessica on July 31, 2008 10:31 AM

Delicious and definitely one I'll make again. Did have to modify the recipe somewhat since I didn't have all the listed ingredients. Substituted orange rind for lemon and cherry yogurt for plain. Blueberries were in season so used fresh. Measured out 1 1/2 cups of blueberries but instead of tossing them in at the last minute I distributed a portion of the flour mixture into each muffin tin, added about 5 or 6 berries to each, covered with rest of the flour mixture then topped with another 5-6 berries. Each muffin gave a big 'punch' of blueberry flavor. (By the way, I didn't taste any cherry flavor just blueberries).

Posted by: cj on August 11, 2008 10:21 AM

Gorgeous. Love these - I had 3 for dinner and gave another 4 to the neighbours. The recipe made 12 so we have 4 left (my fiance had one, he's not a big sweets/berries fan).

For the person who asks what you can substitute - I subbed in low-fat sour cream and a splash of skim milk. You could probably also sub buttermilk. I'm sure they're at their best with the yoghurt but my yoghurt had gone bad :(

Posted by: Pam on August 22, 2008 5:48 PM

These are absolutely delicious. I was tired of store bought mixes and this recipe was a blessing to my palate. It has become my only choice for blueberry muffins, and my kids love them. I have made them 3 times in 2 weeks. The yogurt and butter make them soooo decadent.

Thanks!

Posted by: Kaydy on August 24, 2008 7:13 AM

Fantastic recipe, they turned out perfect!!
I used all organic ingredients!
A dollop of organic butter on top, mmm mmm mmm!!

Thank you.

Also, I substituted tangerine for the lemon peel;)

Posted by: DebArcane on January 17, 2009 5:14 PM

Mine ended up with a bitter baking powder taste. I followed the recipe exactly (except I didn't have any lemon) Should I try again with less baking powder?

Posted by: april on January 19, 2009 10:01 AM

This is a wonderful recipe!! The flavors were fantastic! My first batch were a tad over cooked, so the second batch I reduced the temp to 350 and they were perfect. My oven cooks a little hot, plus we are near sea level. I also used more berries in my second batch....I LOVE blueberries! Thanks, Elise! This one is going in my permanent collection!

Posted by: Kirsten on January 30, 2009 9:57 AM

Is it possible for me to use the can blueberries instead of the fresh ones? I live in the caribbean and we don't really get them.

I've never made these with canned blueberries. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out. ~Elise

Posted by: Ali on January 31, 2009 11:25 AM

These look wonderful! Would it be okay if I substituted yogurt with sour cream?

You can try it if you want, I have no idea how it will turn out. You might want to take a look at the blackberry muffins recipe which uses sour cream, not yogurt. ~Elise

Posted by: Youri on February 13, 2009 6:29 PM

I didn't have any fresh lemons for zest, so I added a little lemon juice to the yogurt instead.

I made half of this recipe in two mini-muffin tins (24 mini-muffins), so I assume that the full recipe would indeed take TWO of the standard size 12-count muffin tins, as suggested by other reviews. For mini-muffins I baked for 22-25 minutes.

Posted by: Rachael on March 12, 2009 3:50 PM

I was very suprised to see this recipe call for 3 cups of flour. That seemed like a lot compared to other recipes that make a dozen muffins. The muffin dough was very very thick. A large dollop wouldnt even loeave the spoon by itself which made me very worried. However, when baked, they rose and became very light and fluffy. I made my muffins in jumbo muffin pans and made six huge muffins. I baked them at 375 for 33 minutes. I also didnt have plain yogurt so I used a 6oz lemon and a 6oz raspberry. I also used frozen raspberries instead of blueberries. I cut the sugar by half since I was using sweetened yogurt but they were not as sweet as I was hoping. I think 3/4 cup would have been perfect when using sweetened yogurt.

Posted by: Patrick on March 15, 2009 9:31 AM

Baking powder makes things rise. Bicarbonate of soda makes things rise but also aerates it more. So the finished product isn't as dense. Too much bicarb will make it very salty. So be very wary of how much you use. When a recipe says 1tsp, I usually ignore it and put only half. When I bake I like to go between half and a quarter. Anything over a half is just too much and it makes the food taste bitter and salty.

Posted by: Kiara on April 12, 2009 8:17 PM

Elise...these muffins are AMAZING! The best muffins I have ever made - cannot even compare them to others. I read many food blogs, but yours is the absolute best in regards to recipes. HANDS DOWN. They always yield the best results. How do you do it?! There is always something unique in your recipes that set it apart from the rest and give it that gourmet quality. Just so so good. I cannot say enough good things about them! Thank you so much for sharing them!!

Posted by: Sharon on May 12, 2009 6:49 PM

This recipe is AWESOME! Thank you for sharing. I followed it to the T and all my friends, family and coworkers ask for "Elise's Muffins". No substitutions or alterations needed. Thanks for making me look good.

Posted by: Nathan on May 31, 2009 10:52 PM

Elise, thanks for this wonderful easy to make recipe. This was my first time baking blueberry muffins and they came out great even though I didn't really follow the instructions :P The day before, I made banana nut muffins (baked for the first time!) and the wet ingredients were mixed all together then all the dry. I thought it would be the same thing with the blueberry ones so I did it that way until I kept reading the recipe. I thought that I ruined the recipe and was thinking of disposing it, but then thought that I might as well finish it and see the end result, which was good based on what my family said.

I do have a question though: My sister did this recipe a couple of days ago and she used an electric mixer (I used a whisker), and there was enough mix to fill up the muffin pan and a bread pan. When I did mine, I filled them all the way up, which made the top of the muffins stuck together with the next, but I didn't have leftovers for the other pan.

Anyways, sorry for the long comment, but I just wanted to share my experience with this recipe. If you like them fluffier, use a mixer, but if you really don't care about fluffiness, then use a whisker. They still came out pretty good!

Posted by: Miriam on June 10, 2009 5:35 PM

I wanted ginger, lemon and blueberries all in one muffin. So, I followed the recipe for the lemon ginger muffins (with about 2 Tbsp lemon zest) and I used 2% Greek strained yogurt and I added in the 1-1/2 cups blueberries. The muffin batter appeared to me like dumpling batter. I did make 12 muffins with big puffy tops and I have to say they are delicious. Very moist and fluffy like a cake and not dense at all. It's incredible how moist they are! I did not make the lemon/sugar glaze this time but maybe will next time. Thanks for the recipes.

Posted by: Teresa Motichka on June 21, 2009 2:16 PM

I found this recipe when I was searching for a blueberry muffin recipe that didn't turn out dry. Boy was I glad I did! The muffins turned out perfectly. I have definitely added this recipe to my list of favorites!!

Posted by: Kelley Kirtley on June 22, 2009 9:45 AM

This recipe is awesome, thank you for sharing! I used 1/2 a cup of sugar and the muffins taste more like blueberry cake bread, but still very good. I think I'll use a cup of sugar in future, but I'm very happy with the results. Elise, I tried your recipes for carrot muffins, strawberry rhubarb pie, and also a baked pasta dish (I think), and EVERYTHING has turned out so well every time.

Posted by: Sarah on June 22, 2009 7:59 PM

I just made these and I don't know why they look nothing like your picture. I followed the recipe, but threw in a little vanilla instead of lemon zest. They rose beautifully and then fell in on themselves. The top became glossy shiny and well browned (kinda how a cake looks when you pull it out of the oven) with a kinda fluffy center. Did I not mix them enough? Too much? They're pretty yummy just nothing like the muffins in your pic.

Sounds like your baking powder might be too old. Anything beyond 6 months needs to be replaced with a new can. ~Elise

Posted by: Katrina on June 25, 2009 4:33 PM

These sound delicious, would I be able to swap the all purpose flour with baking powder and soda for self raising flour?

Perhaps. I don't usually cook with self raising flour, so don't know. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out. ~Elise

Posted by: Emma on July 5, 2009 1:17 PM

Elise,
After your reply on the zucchini muffins, I bought a package of baking soda (yay - ) and tried out this recipe - I loved it!
Even the blueberries were from a you-pick farm where my boyfriend and I went and picked our own berries, so I can literally say this muffin was made from scratch. :)
It's hot and steamy down here in Florida but for some reason I'm hooked on baking this summer.
Thanks for all the simple yet wonderful recipes that encourage and inspire me to try my hand more and more in baking.
We loved the muffins so much that using your zucchini muffin -> zucchini bread recipe transformation I used the blueberry muffin recipe and baked 2 loaves of blueberry bread - we absolutely love it!
It has a slightly denser texture than the muffins, but still delicious.
Thanks again for this lovely recipe -
We still have lots of blueberries left over so my next project is pie...I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Posted by: Jee on July 15, 2009 7:18 AM

Made these this morning with one modification (adding 1/4 cup of poppyseeds to make Blueberry-Poppy Muffins), and they were just wonderful -- so light and tender.

Like some of the other comments, I had way too much batter for one pan; I ended up doing an extra six-cup pan for a total of 18 muffins. I realized afterward that the problem was that I had cupcake pans, not muffin pans; I never realized that they were different! It might be worth specifying that in a recipe. The smaller muffins cooked slightly faster (25 minutes in a convection oven) and were a little more of a moderate portion (~200 calories).

Posted by: Esther on July 18, 2009 10:11 AM

Just made these muffins... amazing! I live overseas and had to make the measuring conversions and now that blueberries are in season, this recipe is the best. Thank you!

Posted by: nicole on July 19, 2009 4:47 AM

Hi, I made these muffins quite some time back, but they didnt look like yours - roughed surface. Mine was pretty smooth, may I know where went wrong? Other than that, the texture was fluffy & moist! Ohh! It kinda was 'more moist' the next day as compared to the day it was baked.

Thanks!

I don't know why that may have happened. ~Elise

Posted by: lynn on July 20, 2009 11:06 AM

My 12 year old daughter and I made this recipe after she picked so many blueberries we didn't know what to do with them all! I accidently bought vanilla yogurt and they still taste wonderful! We also added a streudal topping to it which added to the flavor. Thanks so much for this great recipe which we will use again and again!

Posted by: Julie Bihn on July 31, 2009 5:32 PM

These are absolutely lovely! We received a flat of blueberries from a neighbor and my first thought was blueberry muffins, of course! I had to make some changes based on what I had available: instead of plain yogurt, I used 1 c. light sour cream and 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce. We also did not have any lemons, so I used orange zest instead. I also cut down the sugar slightly (I knew the blueberries were sweet). The muffins came out fluffy and gorgeous. Thank you for the recipe!

Posted by: Mel G. on August 3, 2009 4:49 PM

These muffins are splendid! We used hand-picked blueberries from the mountains of Denmark and they turned out incredible!

Posted by: Tina O. on August 22, 2009 11:51 AM

My muffins raised very much during baking- almost twice e height, and they looked so pretty! But after baking, they shrank after taking out to cool. But, strangely, they're still very soft though they've shrunk to just barely 20% higher then the initial batter. What could have caused it? I made sure the top was browned, and the skewer came out clean.

Typically you will get some shrinkage as the muffins cool. Make sure your baking powder is fresh. It should be no older than 6 months. If you have an old can, throw it out and get a small new can. ~Elise

Posted by: Yvette on August 26, 2009 6:04 AM

This was the first time I had made muffins and they came out great. I did however substitute the lemon zest for orange and as it was the last orange I had I decided to squeeze its juice into the batter. This added a sweet tangy orange flavour to the muffins which perfectly compliments the berries. Towards the end after mixing in all of the ingredients together I added 50ml of milk as I thought the batter was a bit dry, and I also chose to use frozen mixed seasonal berries.

Thanks again for this recipe, I will definitely be making these again.

Posted by: natalie on September 13, 2009 3:57 AM

Elise, Your site is new to me. I was directed here from Smitten Kitchen on a hunt for good muffin recipes. I must tell you I tested 4 different blueberry muffin recipes this weekend, including the Cook's Illustrated version, and I found yours to be the best-tasting by far. Perhaps it's because I love lemon and am less enthused by blueberries (the Cook's Illustrated version had the strongest blueberry flavor), but I also loved the texture of yours, and it held up very well over the next few days (I had to save some for this test, tho' it was a struggle not to eat them). My only changes: 1/4th the flour was whole wheat and I used 1/2 vanilla-flavored yogurt #all I had# and 1/2 buttermilk. Thanks for the great recipe!

Posted by: CherylH on October 11, 2009 1:00 PM

Elise,
I didn't think I liked blueberry muffins until I made this recipe last night. Even though I used the mini tins, I ate way too many! So delicious--as always :)
Thanks!

Posted by: Carly on January 3, 2010 5:15 PM

These are the best tasting homemade Blueberry muffins I have ever had. Thank you so much! I am going to email the recipe to my mother in law tonight. I told her the muffins came moist and fluffy. Can't wait to try your other recipes....... : )

Posted by: Helen Atooli on January 8, 2010 1:29 AM

Hi-
Made these twice over the weekend, once as muffins and once as a bread loaf - FANTASTIC!

Posted by: Vikki on January 26, 2010 10:16 AM

Made these for brunch today, loved them. I did half the batch with silicon muffin cups and half with a normal metal muffin tin. They baked so much better in the old fashioned muffin tin. The silicon ones spilled over and made a mess even when properly 2/3 filled.

Posted by: Rebecca on January 30, 2010 10:14 AM

If you are using frozen blueberries, do not defrost them. they will bleed all over the batter!

Posted by: jami on February 5, 2010 7:49 PM

The blueberries take center stage in these muffins, which are light, moist and incredibly tasty. Good job!

Posted by: Liz on February 7, 2010 11:00 AM

FINALLY a muffin that has a big top and fluffy inside! I have been looking for a bakery-style muffin recipe and have finally found it. For the first time I can break off the top of the muffin and eat it last, just the way I like. I just made sure to over-fill the cups. Thank you for this delicious recipe! I'll definitely be using it as my muffin base for all types.

Posted by: Anjali on February 8, 2010 4:13 PM

The muffins came out just as promised, light, fluffy and full of blueberries. My whole family LOVED them!

Thanks so much!

Posted by: Chocolate Gourmet on February 26, 2010 12:05 PM

I made these and they were fantastic! The only thing I did differently was use vanilla yogurt instead of plain, which gave it a little something extra! Thanks for all the great recipes on this site :)

Posted by: Michelle on March 11, 2010 2:24 PM

Thanks for sharing this recipe! It's the best! I've had so many positive comments on them. My dad keeps asking when I'm gonna make muffins again ;).
For anyone wondering if you really need the baking soda: yes you do! Because it's hard to get hold of baking soda here in Holland I've actually made half of a batch with baking soda and the other half replacing it with extra baking powder. And they really do come out a lot less compact and a lot lighter and fluffier with the baking soda.
If anyone's wondering where they can get baking soda in Holland, go to your local chemist (apotheek).
Anyway, thanks again for this excellent recipe!

Posted by: Heleen on March 14, 2010 7:50 AM

These muffins are incredible!! I was a bit hesitant about making it at first because I usually don't make muffins by creaming the butter first and I mix the wet and dry ingredients all at once - quickly - not in thirds. I'm converted though - they are the best! Thanks Elise

Posted by: Desiree on March 24, 2010 3:35 PM

These turned out beautifully! My batch made 19 good sized muffins, and I baked for 27 minutes to perfection. Love the 'lil something special the lemon zest gives.

Posted by: Ashley R. on March 31, 2010 8:51 PM

I added an extra egg by mistake and they still came out wonderful, so I guess thay are ADHD-proof hahaha, I'm taking them to my tennis club tonite. Thanks

Posted by: Cristina "mess it all up" L. on April 7, 2010 5:16 PM

Thank you - this recipe is fantastic! I tried it this weekend and will definitely be using it again in the near future.

Posted by: Anna on April 12, 2010 6:40 AM

I've made this recipe several times before, substituting frozen mixed berries or cherries for the blueberries. They have turned out incredibly- the berries dissolve and form beautiful swirls, the yogurt makes them creamy and light, and the lemon zest gives them a bit of tang.

Amazing!

Posted by: AB on June 10, 2010 4:21 PM

I did not care for this recipe. I am not an inexperienced cook, and I followed the receipt exactly. I used fresh blueberry's and full fat Greek Yogurt. The dough was very thick, more like cookie dough. I literally had to put it in the muffin pans with my fingers. The muffins had a decent flavor, but nothing special, and I though they were a bit heavy. Could the type of yogurt make such a difference? Should I have used regular fat-free or low-fat yogurt?

Greek yogurt is quite different from regular yogurt, heavier and creamier. I would suggest making the recipe with plain yogurt, whole milk or low fat, either one. ~Elise

Posted by: kellynni on June 14, 2010 7:14 AM

Thank you so much Elisa! Your muffins are just great!! I slightly modified the recipe by reducing sugar and using 1/3 of cornflour. Muffins have never tasted so good! Now Im ready to impress my bf even more!
Many thanks again and greetings from Moscow, Russia!

Posted by: Alessia on July 3, 2010 12:59 PM

Dear Elise,

Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe... It has reached me in Brazil...

I've just baked some... Wow... Unbelievably fluffy and delicious...

Take care.

Penha

Posted by: Penha on July 7, 2010 11:27 AM

Hi, Elise! Again - thank you for a great recipe! My family loved it and it was my first muffins ever! 12 pieces were eaten in a blink of an eye. My 2 yr old daughter was crying: she couldn't wait till it cools enough to eat. The only thing - I guess I like more sugar in it, but I will just add some extra the next time i am cooking them. And I definitely am!!

P.S. Is it possible to add some brown sugar? Or does it only work for a white one?

Hi Tanya, brown sugar is just like white sugar with a little molasses thrown in. So, if you like the flavor of molasses, then you can use brown sugar. Otherwise I would just stick with white sugar. ~Elise

Posted by: Tanya from Ukraine on July 29, 2010 11:47 PM

I made a version (1/2 recipe) of these muffins that was on Smitten Kitchen's site and she linked to you. Elise, these muffins are wonderful. The texture is is light and the lemon in them just complements the blueberries perfectly. Great recipe!

Posted by: Susan on August 30, 2010 11:05 PM

Hi Elise, I tried making muffins once and it was a disaster with burnt tops.And then I got this receipe. I should say that it was awesome.Instead of lemon ,I used vanilla essence.The muffins were soft and I love it.Thanks!

Posted by: Akhila on August 30, 2010 11:40 PM

I made these, and they are delicious. I did alter both the temp and the time, however. My muffin pans are dark metal, and so I had more success with my second batch, which I baked at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (lower temp and less time than you recommended).

I do that in general anyway, with darker pans. Do you have any thoughts or recommendations on pans and temperature?

Thanks for the good stuff. This afternoon I'm trying your beet hummus!

I've noticed that too, when using dark pans you don't need to cook as long. ~Elise

Posted by: Jane Kokernak on September 12, 2010 6:27 AM

Hi Elise,
Wow lots of great reviews! I can't wait to try it out they look so yummy! I'm just wondering as I'm new to baking whether by "beating" the mixture you mean with an electric beater, hand held 'turn' beater or with a whisk or wooden spoon by hand? Sorry If this is obvious I just don't want to ruin them! Thanks heaps :) Sophie

Hi Sophie, you can "beat" the mixture with a wooden spoon but I think you'll find it easier to use a standup electric mixer if you have one. ~Elise

Posted by: Sophie Brennan on November 29, 2010 2:52 AM

oh Elise the muffins were SO delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe that's one I wont lose!! & also thanks for clarifying the electric beater.. I'm slowly learning :) After the success of your muffins I have 'bookmarked' so many more recipes of yours & can't wait to try them!!! I think our family might gain a bit of weight in the next few months!! haha. Bye & thanks again -Sophie :)

Posted by: Sophie Brennan on November 30, 2010 8:01 AM

Wow! After a few attempts at making muffins (all ended up flat and dense), I searched online for the best blueberry muffin recipe that was sure to rise. This one kept coming up so I had to give it a go. I am now a very proud baker with 10 (two gone already, and they're only just out of the oven!!) perfectly light and fluffy blueberry muffins. Thanks so much for the recipe - can't wait to try something else from your repertoire.

Posted by: Claire on February 10, 2011 2:27 PM

I substituted 1 cup of Almond Milk (for the yogurt) and 1/2 cup agave (for 1 cup sugar) and they turned out fantastic!!! I have been experimenting with MANY different recipes from your website since I have had to cook for myself at college: everything is always delicious. I now have to hide muffins so my roommates won't eat them all...

Posted by: Chelsea on March 29, 2011 7:14 PM

They turned out delicious and light and airy but were flat on top? Soda and powder are fresh. Did I overmix?

Don't know. Maybe? Doubtful if they were light. Overmixing tends to toughen things.~Elise

Posted by: Siobhan on May 15, 2011 12:33 PM

I'm not normally a fan of non-chocolate muffins, but these blueberry muffins were divine! Got rave reviews from colleagues as well! Thank you Elise!

Posted by: Aileen on July 2, 2011 6:38 PM

I made these and did not have yogurt so substituted sourcream. Used Egg replacer and added an additional egg due to high altitude and added vanilla - my boys and husband loved them. Mix felt very thick but they turned out moist and I used frozen blueberries just cooked for additional 5 minutes for 35 minutes total - thanks!

Posted by: Vicky on July 25, 2011 8:55 PM

Hi Elise, thank you for sharing the recipe. This is the BEST muffin I've ever tasted. It's light, soft and fluffy, and so so so yummy! Can I get your advice.. if I were to substitute the blueberries with chocolate chips, do I need to reduce the sugar?

The sugar is important for the structure and moisture of the the muffin, so I would not change the amounts. ~Elise

Posted by: Jo on August 27, 2011 10:15 AM

Oh my goodness. I know I'm late coming to the party with these, but these muffins are AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe - not only were the muffins beautiful (I sprinkled a bit of coarse sugar on top), they were moist and fluffy and delicious! This is my new go-to recipe!!!

Posted by: Leigh on September 11, 2011 6:42 PM

I used whole wheat flour in this recipe and thought I was careful not to overbeat, but alas! My "muffin mix" was more like pizza dough! There was no such thing as folding in the blueberries! I had to place them in layers in the dough where I thought they should go...Is there something I did wrong with the amount of whole wheat or did I in fact, beat too long? I expected them to be a little more dense, but not this!

I imagine that the whole wheat flour absorbed more moisture from the eggs than the equal amount of all purpose flour would have. I suggest adding more liquid to the batter if you are going to use whole wheat flour, even water will do, but you will have to experiment. Just don't over-mix. ~Elise

Posted by: Sarah on September 25, 2011 10:34 PM

I have made these muffins several times and they are so delicious! I was just wondering, could you make the batter the night before, store it in the fridge, and then scoop out and bake the muffins the next morning?

No, they should be made as quickly as possible after the batter is put together, otherwise you'll lose the leavening power of the baking soda combined with the yogurt. ~Elise

Posted by: Meg on October 4, 2011 11:11 AM

Please help!
My muffins always taste good, but have a disappointing smooth, flat top - what am I doing wrong????

Posted by: ShivvyD on October 6, 2011 10:00 AM

These are wonderful! I made them just as the recipe suggested.

Posted by: Nancy Van Gulick on November 18, 2011 10:56 AM

This looks like exactly the kind of muffin I am looking to make: moist, light and puffy tops! I live at 6500 ft though... Would you recommend making any adjustments for high altitude? Thanks!

I don't live or cook at high altitude so don't know what to tell you. I suggest doing an online search for high altitude baking to get some advice. ~Elise

Posted by: Tracy on November 28, 2011 5:18 PM

I baked these for New Year's brunch and they were fantastic!!!

I substituted 1.5 cups buttermilk (1.5 C milk + 1.5 tablespoon vinegar left to sit for 10 minutes) and added an additional 1/2 tsp baking soda because of the substitution.

They were extremely light and fluffy and very flavorful. We only have about 9 left and my batch yielded 19 muffins.

Posted by: Jennifer L on January 1, 2012 6:30 PM

Sad it didn't work out so well for me :-( I might have to throw my batch :-( substituted plain yoghurt with Greek yoghurt, white sugar with brown and white flour with whole wheat... What went wrong? Beat ingredients, you meant with electric mixer right?

Well, you substituted 3 of the main ingredients. Not a good idea in baking, if you expect the results of the original recipe. Greek yogurt is thicker than plain. And whole wheat flour is heavier than all purpose. As for beating the ingredients, you can use a stand-up mixer or you can use a wooden spoon and mix the ingredients by hand. ~Elise

Posted by: Wendy on January 10, 2012 8:24 PM

I was searching for a blueberry muffin recipe on the web and decided to make yours. My boyfriend love blueberry muffins and these were a hit.... I have never tasted better - they were so light and airy. thank you for sharing

Posted by: Bronwyn on January 15, 2012 10:35 PM

I tried this recipe with my gluten free flour, fresh blueberries and vanilla low fat yogurt (that is all I had on hand). I love it and so did my relatives. Thanks!

Posted by: Rochelle on February 28, 2012 9:09 PM

I apologize for the inconvenience, comments are closed. ~Elise

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