BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO

Let me begin by saying that my kids aren’t crazy about blueberry muffins. One prefers their blueberries straight from the carton, and the other seems to think they belong in the trash. I don’t get it. Personally, I would eat every blueberry baked good I could get my hands on if given the chance. So basically, what I’m saying is that this recipe is selfishly for me and hopefully for all of you like-minded blueberry fanatics out there.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour (Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour, as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 large whole eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups frozen wild Maine blueberries, *See notes below*

1/8 cup granulated sugar, for the topping

1/2 lemon zested, for the topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 F

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 6 liners (if you want to get fancy you can use parchment paper). In order for the muffins to get pretty bakery-style domes, note they should be baked in 2 batches.

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

Whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dries and whisk until almost combined. Then, gently fold in the blueberries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, overfilling them so the batter sits slightly higher than the liner. 

Rub the lemon zest into the sugar for the topping. Then, sprinkle it on top of each muffin.

Bake for 10 minutes, then without opening the oven door, decrease the heat to 350 F and continue baking for 10-15 minutes longer, rotating the pan halfway through. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are golden brown and are no longer sticky with wet batter. The tops will still feel slightly soft to the touch.

Let the pan cool on a wire rack for no more than 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Let them cool completely on the wire rack.

Reline it with liners, and bake the rest of the muffin batter. Don’t forget to increase the oven temperature again before baking!