Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

One of the great things about summertime is eating all the fresh berries. Whether it’s strawberries earlier in June, raspberries towards July, or blueberries which carry us into August, there’s never a shortage of them at the grocery store or farmers’ market. Of course, we can get fresh berries throughout the year but there’s just something about the warm, lazy air that makes those berries taste just a little bit sweeter.

I recently got a pint of blueberries and while I made half of them into a cool, summer smoothie, the other half I made into these delightfully light muffins. I do have to confess though, that blueberries are my least favorite berries (I prefer raspberries or strawberries) yet blueberry muffins are one of my favorite baked goods. There’s just something wonderfully wholesome about biting into a muffin that’s neither too sweet or bland and baked with healthier fruit flavors. They also make me feel less guilty than their sweeter cupcake counterparts.

These muffins baked to a wonderfully dusky brown and were so light and moist. If the muffin itself wasn’t moist enough, the blueberries added that extra burst of flavor and moisture to each bite. While some berries bursted during baking, filling the muffin with their distinct dark purple streaks, some retained their shape and biting into one of those is like eating a perfectly ripe berry right off the bush.

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins, from Ina Garten

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

2.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk.

3.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

4.  Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.

Notes

You can also brush the tops of the muffin pans with baking spray or oil to prevent the muffin tops from sticking to the pan after they’re done baking, like Ina says, “What’s the point of making muffins if you can’t get them out of the pan!” When I made these, I halved the recipe and used only one egg and got nine medium-sized muffins.

This recipe yields a much lighter muffin, the texture of which is almost like a sponge cake rather than the usual heartier muffin. Because of their lightness, these make wonderful breakfast muffins. The next time I bake these, I would consider sprinkling the top with some sugar or making a streusel topping. I might attempt the sugar first as the streusel topping might be a bit too dense for such light muffins. Thanks for another wonderful recipe, Ina!