Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

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If you're wondering what a summer morning in Maine would taste like, these Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins with maple sugar are it!

Moist and fluffy blueberry muffins made with buttermilk, frozen blueberries, and a touch of lemon.

No mixer or softening of butter is needed! The buttermilk in this recipe creates a perfectly light, fluffy, and tender muffin, with a moist crumb and great rise. The addition of the maple sugar topping creates a muffin top that is warm, caramelized, and crunchy, making these muffins taste like a stack of blueberry pancakes! TO DIE FOR.

How to make Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

Muffin Ingredients:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest
• 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of Maine wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• ⅓ cup Maine maple sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set it aside, if topping with maple sugar, it's also a good idea to spray the top of the muffin pan with a little cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and the sugar until well blended and pale yellow.

Pour in the melted butter and whisk to combine. Lastly, add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla to the sugar mixture. Whisk until fully incorporated. The mixture will be very thin.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix the batter until almost fully combined. The batter should be lumpy with flour streaks showing still.

Add the blueberries to the lumpy batter. Quickly and gently, fold the berries into the batter until the berries are evenly distributed and no flour streaks remain.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the muffin tops with maple sugar (if using).

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve these with a strong cup of freshly brewed coffee, and a pat of salty butter.

What does buttermilk do to muffins?

Buttermilk is fabulous for baking because it adds a little extra acidity to the batter. This helps to break down tough strands of gluten, resulting in a lighter, moister crumb and a better rise.

Buttermilk is ideal for things like muffins, pancakes, and biscuits.

The tang of buttermilk also adds a nice flavor contrast to baked goods--especially recipes that are rich in butter and flour.

In the instance of these buttermilk blueberry muffins, the buttermilk compliments the blueberries and helps to cut the starchiness of flour, all while making the muffin extremely fluffy and moist!

The source for the above info can be found at finecooking.com.

HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE

One of the key ingredients for this blueberry muffin recipe is buttermilk.

But sometimes I don't always have that on hand.

If that's the case for you too, no worries! You can totally make a quick substitute with lemon juice (or even white vinegar) and milk.

In a liquid measuring cup, measure out 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Add enough milk to equal one cup. Let sit for 5 minutes until it starts to thicken and look curdled a little (don't worry, that's what you want!). Then proceed with the recipe.

Tips for the best buttermilk blueberry muffins

• Make sure to not overmix the batter when it comes time to add the berries. You'll want lumps of flour to still show when you stir in the blueberries. You'll finsih mixing the batter when you're gently folding in the berries.
• When using frozen berries, make sure to keep the berries in the freezer until the last possible second. That way they won't start to melt and get all mushy in the batter.
• When selecting blueberries, choose the small wild blueberries. They just work better in these muffins.
• Fill the muffin cavities really full. It make look like you're putting too much batter in the muffin cups, but this is what you want. This will give you those glorious big muffin tops with the crisp edges.
• After melting the butter, let it cool a little bit so that it doesn't scramble the eggs when you add it to the wet ingredients.
• Make sure to give the top of the muffin pan a little spritz of cooking spray so the muffin tops won't stick too bad when you go to remove the muffins.
• Allow the muffins to cool before removing the muffin paper--or else the bottom of your muffin will stick. I've been guilty of this on several occasions!

Topping Ideas:

• Sprinkle the tops with coarse white sugar before baking, for a bakery muffin effect!
• You can also sprinkle on some sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, granola, or cinnamon sugar, before popping into the oven.
• Dunk the tops of these muffins in to a lemon glaze after baking, for a little extra sweetness and zing.
• After baking, dip the muffin tops in some melted butter and then some cinnamon sugar, for a donut muffin effect.
• Add a streusel topping (recipe follows)

Recipe for streusel topping:

These blueberry muffins are divine as is, but if you're looking to add a streusel topping--like the topping I use on my pumpkin muffins-- here's what you'll need to do:

• ¾ cup of all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium sized bowl.

Pour in the melted butter and mix until it has been absorbed by the flour and large crumbs have formed. Divide over the tops of the muffins and bake per the recipe!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Mixed Berry Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins With Streusel

Applesauce Donut Muffins

Sources for Maple Sugar

You can grab maple sugar at some grocery stores, Whole Foods, or Amazon. Make sure to get Maine maple sugar--because it's the best.