My Favorite Blueberry Muffins
Alright, let’s get a few things straight here: I’m no scientist. Crazy, right? I knew you thought I was! But no, no – in real life, I’m just a silly little accountant with a love for food (and staying up wayyyy past any normal person’s bedtime). I like to leave all the science-y things up to the real scientists, like my best friend, Lisa! Because, let’s be real –- anyone who uses the word ‘science-y’ in their everyday life obviously just has no clue [ahem, me].
Okay, okay –- let’s back up a little bit. What the heck am I talking about, you might be asking yourself? Welp, here’s the thing: when Sally tells me about a science-y type baking technique, I just go with it, no questions asked. You wanna know why? Because Sally is a brilliant baker – and really, I’m just a copycat. My granola? I basically owe 95% of that recipe to Dana’s brilliance. You see, I just like to stalk my blogger ‘friends’ and recreate their recipes, adapting them both for my taste and for the dietary needs of the 872154 people I live with – more on all that later, though. Let’s get down to [baking] business…
Blueberry muffins. Who doesn’t love ‘em?! [me, circa 1998, that’s who. and probably a bunch of other loonies who don’t know what’s good for them, but let’s focus on their needs another time, mmk?] Fresh, warm blueberry muffins are the perfect start to any morning. Sweet and light, with a crunch of sugar sprinkled on top, that’s exactly how I like mine. Sally has created just that; she uses her science powers to determine the proper baking time and temperature, which results in muffins that are soft and light, with giant, sugary and slightly-crispy tops. In a word: perfection.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the muffins taste rich and buttery, yet no butter is actually used! Canola oil takes the place of butter as the fat, and I have to say — you won’t even miss it.
Also, instead of baking these muffins at a constant temperature for the entire 20 to 30 minutes, you’ll notice that they bake for the first 5 minutes at a higher temperature setting. It’s like the muffin tops explode at the higher temperature, and then spend the rest of the time just getting all soft and delicious! Or maybe something science-related occurs to cause this reaction… which is more likely the case. Ask Sally, she’ll be able to tell you!
- 3 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pint blueberries
- optional: coarse sugar [for sprinkling on top of muffins]
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F; spray muffin tins with non-stick spray or line with muffin/cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices until mixed well. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together; add milk, oil and vanilla. Continue whisking until well combined; mixture will be a pale yellow. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir by hand, being careful not to overmix.
- Carefully fold in the blueberries, taking note that the mixture will be super thick and a little lumpy.
- Fill each muffin tin to the top; sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 18 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes or so, and then enjoy warm, freshly baked blueberry muffins!
Feel free to replace blueberries with the add-in of your choice: chocolate chips, cranberries, banana + walnut, etc. If making substitutions, use only 1 ¼ cup your add-in.
This recipe can be adapted to make mini or jumbo muffins, in addition to the standard-size recipe given here. Refer to Sally's original post [linked below] for adjustments in baking time.
Recipe from: Sally's Baking Addiction | Sparking Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
I guess the more important point to make here is that: no butter + blueberries = a healthy recipe!
….right?! eh, something like that. Either way, make these muffins. Happy Labor Day, friends!
You are awesome!
So glad you enjoyed it! :)