Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins

My sister Regina sent me this blueberry muffin recipe a few years ago and I just made them today. I was looking for a blueberry muffin recipe that uses oil instead of butter and that's what this one uses. She said out of all the blueberry muffin recipes she's tried, this one is her favorite and the only one she makes now. She's made it with both fresh and frozen blueberries and said it comes out better with fresh ones. I used fresh blueberries and the muffins were delicious! They were also very easy to make. I made a double recipe so I can freeze them for easy weekday breakfasts. Mine took about 16 minutes to bake.

Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins

Recipe courtesy Inspired Taste Blog

 

This easy blueberry muffin recipe is our most popular for a reason! It’s quick to make and yields muffins with a moist, tender center bursting with blueberries and a perfectly golden-brown top.

 

When measuring the flour for these muffins, either weigh it or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a flat edge.

 

1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

¾ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for muffin tops

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

1 large egg

1/3 cup milk or non-dairy milk, use more as needed

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

6 to 8 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries, generous 1 cup

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

 

Lightly grease or spray the tops of the muffin tin with oil to prevent the tops from sticking. High-quality nonstick pans may not require this.

 

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

 

Choose a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup. Add the oil to the jug, and then crack in the egg. Pour in enough milk to reach the 1-cup line on the jug (this should be about 1/3 cup of milk). Add the vanilla extract and whisk until everything is combined.

 

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the batter comes together. Be careful not to overmix! The batter will be thick, see tips below.

 

Gently fold in the blueberries.

 

Divide the batter between muffin cups. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each muffin.

 

Bake muffins 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are no longer wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter. Transfer to a cooling rack.

To store, place them in a plastic bag, seal, and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or place them in freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.

 

Makes 12 standard size muffins.

 

NOTES:

Frozen blueberries: Add frozen blueberries while frozen, do not thaw.

Measuring your flour: Fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for accurate measuring. For even more accuracy, use a scale and measure the flour by weight (in grams).

For mini muffins, the baking time will be less — keep an eye on them while they bake and expect them to take 9 to 11 minutes.

Batter thickness: The batter should be thick and “scoopable” — not runny and not dry or extra thick like dough. If the batter is too runny, add flour, a tablespoon at a time until correct consistency. If the batter is dry or too thick, add milk, a tablespoon at a time until the proper consistency.

Recipe inspired by Allrecipes blueberry muffins.

Triple Berry Pie

I love dessert and sweets, and pie is one of my favorites. Cherry pie is my absolute favorite, but anything with berries is a close second. We went to visit my father-in-law for Father's Day weekend and I had a bunch of berries in the refrigerator that I didn't want to take with us, but that would have definitely gone bad sitting until we got back home. I decided to freeze them for smoothies, but later thought I should make a pie out of them. I've only made a berry pie once and I remember it being a bit runny, so I searched online for a new recipe that specifically uses frozen berries and came across this one that looked promising. In this recipe you cook the berries down and then add cornstarch to thicken the juice. The recipe calls for raspberries, blueberries and blackberries but I used strawberries in place of the blackberries. You can use any combination of berries you like most. I'm not very good at making pie crust, so I bought a Pillsbury one and made the pie yesterday.

I used my Le Creuset 3.5-qt. Round Wide Dutch Oven to make the filling and it was the perfect size to fit everything. I tasted the filling once it was ready and it was delicious! I think the store-bought pie crust made this pie not live up to its full potential, so next time I will have to just try a homemade one. It wasn't bad at all, but homemade crust just tastes so much better. I think this berry filling would also taste great with a cobbler topping. Remember to bake your pie on top of a large cookie sheet in case the filling spills over a bit! Overall this was a very easy pie to make and tasted great - it's a perfect summer dessert!

Triple Berry Pie

Recipe courtesy “Tastes Better from Scratch” Blog

 

You just can't beat this easy and delicious homemade Triple Berry Pie! It holds together perfectly every single time, and you can use fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

 

Homemade pie crust for a 9'' deep dish pan. This recipe makes 2 crusts: one for the bottom and one for the top

7 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries and strawberries (about 2 1/3 cups of each type of berry)

1 cup granulated sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top of the pie)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

4 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons butter

1 large egg white beaten with a fork

 

Cook berries: Add berries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat. 

 

Simmer, until warm and juicy, about 5-10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. (You can taste it at this point and see if it's sweet enough for your liking. I don't like to make mine too sweet, but if you want it sweeter you can add ¼ cup more sugar.)

 

Thicken filling: Spoon out about ½ cup of the juice from the pan into a bowl. Stir cornstarch into the juice until smooth. 

 

Bring pot of berries back to a simmer and slowly pour in the cornstarch. Gently stir mixture (being careful not to mash the berries), until thickened, about 2-5 minutes.

 

Cool and add to pie shell. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell (in a 9 in deep dish pan).

 

Add lattice top or a whole top with holes pricked on top for steam to escape.

 

Pinch the edges of the top and bottom pie crusts together and crimp the edge, if you like. Brush a thin layer of beaten egg white over the top of the pie and sprinkle lightly with sugar (optional). 

 

Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes. Check it after about 25 minutes and place a piece of tinfoil over it if the top crust is getting too brown. 

 

Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely, you can cut into it or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.

 

NOTES:

*I LOVE Costco’s bag of frozen berries. It already has all three types of berries and they are big and beautiful and you can't beat the price!

To make ahead: This pie can be prepared completely 1 day ahead of time. You can also prepare the filling up to 3 months ahead of time and store it in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before pouring in unbaked pie crust.

To freeze: You can freeze the baked pie for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Blueberry Muffins

I love muffins, and blueberry muffins are my absolute favorite. Add in some lemon zest and I'm in heaven. I have been craving blueberry muffins the past few days but I haven't made them in so long that I couldn't remember which recipe I like the best, so yesterday I asked my sister Maria what recipe she is using these days. She bakes a lot and muffins are one of her specialties. She sent me an easy Blueberry Muffin recipe that has simple ingredients and doesn't require using a mixer. Since we are in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and avoiding going anywhere that is not completely necessary, I haven't been to Costco or the grocery store in a while. I've been using Peapod but they've been out of frozen blueberries. Last night my husband had to make a quick trip to the grocery store to get some bread and a few other things we were running low on, and picked up a small package of blueberries - just enough for this recipe. I'm glad I got the chance to try this recipe today. Not only was it super easy to make, but these muffins are incredibly delicious and they were exactly what I was craving!

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe courtesy “Beneath the Crust” Blog

1¾ cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons butter (¾ stick)

½ cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (I never measure — just grab a lemon & zest rigorously. No way you’ll ever get too much zest from just one lemon) or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, don’t thaw)
 

Preheat oven to 400°. Prep your muffin tin, either greasing each cup or lining with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture is pebbly with some larger chunks of butter the size of torn bread chunks. Not working the butter in too finely is key for making these more crumbly and scone-like. (I prefer to cut the butter into small cubes, dump it in, then use my hands to smoosh it into the flour mixture, but two knives, a pastry cutter, or even a stand mixer would work just fine).

In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the milk. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla. Blend well (I use a fork).

Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Mix (using a wooden spoon, sturdy spatula, or stand mixer) just until the flour is moistened.*

Stir in blueberries. Gently.

Dollop batter into muffin tin using two spoons. The batter will be stiff and should fill each cup about ½ to ¾ full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until fragrant and a delicious golden brown. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 muffins.

NOTE: *I find muffins do better without over mixing. A little bit of flour mixture at the bottom of the bowl is okay. The blueberries help bring everything together, and you can just distribute the leftover sugar mixture as you’re filling your muffin tin. It incorporates into the muffins just fine.

Fresh out of the oven!

Updated photos from August 2021:

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

It's been way too long since I've posted a new recipe. I recently bought a townhouse and have been stocking my new kitchen so I can start baking again. Since the day I moved in I've been wanting to make blueberry muffins to freeze for easy breakfasts. The first weekend I was living here, my sister Maria brought me a few muffins to eat the next day since I hadn't bought any food yet. The recipe she used is what I made today - a very simple yet delicious blueberry muffin. This recipe came from my Aunt Maria years ago, and my family has been enjoying it ever since. It is even better with the streusel topping, but I made them without the topping this time. I got 16 muffins out of one recipe. If you love blueberries as much as I do, give this recipe a try!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Muffin Batter:

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg, beaten

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel topping (optional):

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup butter or margarine

MUFFIN BATTER: In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Add egg; mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with milk. Stir in Vanilla.  Fold in blueberries.

Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full.

DIRECTIONS FOR STREUSEL: In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over muffin batter before baking.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Bake at 375º for 25-30 minutes or until browned.

Butter & sugar

Dry ingredients

Frozen blueberries

Finished batter

Ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven!

Photos by JoJo

Blueberry Muffins

Today I made Blueberry Muffins with some more of the fresh blueberries that I picked yesterday. I tried a new recipe that was very quick and easy. I always use paper cupcake liners in my muffin pans so they are easy to get out. I also use a cookie scoop to fill the pans. I got 18 muffins out of this recipe and froze half of them. I recommend adding a few blueberries to the top of each muffin to make them look best after they are baked, otherwise the blueberries that are mixed into the batter just sink into the muffin. This recipe would also be good with raspberries, blackberries or a mixture of berries!

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe courtesy Williams-Sonoma

These sweet, buttery muffins are delicately spiced, with a cakelike texture. Fresh blueberries are best, but if you have only frozen berries, stir them into the batter without thawing, or their dark juice will turn the muffins purple.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup blueberries

Preheat an oven to 400º. Butter 16 standard muffin cups.

In a bowl, stir and toss together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, butter and eggs until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Add the blueberries and stir just until evenly incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan.

Makes about 16 standard muffins.

Dry ingredients

Wet ingredients

Mix all ingredients together

Freshly picked blueberries

Gently fold in the blueberries

Ready for the oven

Fresh out of the oven!

Photos by JoJo

Blueberry Cobbler

Today my sister and I went blueberry picking at Butler's Orchard. I came back with about 8 cups of blueberries and wasn't sure what to make with them. I looked around online for some dessert recipes and decided to make a Blueberry Cobbler. This recipe was very simple and took no time to make. I couldn't find a 9x9 baking pan, so I used a 7x11 pan instead. The cobbler was delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream. I will definitely be making this recipe again!

Blueberry Cobbler

Recipe courtesy Williams-Sonoma

Fresh seasonal berries, such as raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, can be frozen for up to 4 months for future use. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer the frozen berries to plastic containers.

3 cups blueberries

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon plus 1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

6 to 8 Tablespoons heavy cream

Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Prepare the berries
Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 400°. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, combine the blueberries, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the 1 tablespoon flour and the cinnamon. Stir gently to mix. Spread the berry mixture evenly in the prepared dish.

Mix the dough
In a bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup flour and 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and the salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of peas. Add the 6 tablespoons cream and, using a rubber spatula, stir lightly until the ingredients are just moistened. The dough should be soft; if necessary, add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons cream. Using 2 spoons, form mounds of dough about 2 inches in diameter and place on the top of the berries.

Bake the cobbler
Bake until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling around the edges of the dish, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the dish on a wire rack. Spoon the warm cobbler onto plates or into bowls, top each with a scoop of ice cream, if desired, and serve.

Serves 6.

Fresh blueberries

Mixed with sugar, flour & cinnamon

Dough batter after mixing in butter

Dough batter after adding heavy cream

Cobbler ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven

Photos by JoJo