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: