big blueberry muffins

I fondly remember my mom making blueberry muffins when I was younger (honestly, I am fond of everything she would make for us). Most notably she would only use fresh fruit. I never knew until I moved away how quintessential this was to my idea of a good muffin. In college, blueberry muffins contained little canned wild blueberries which, no offense, were just not as good. (I happen to love wild blueberries very much. No hate.) But fresh fruit adds a special touch to muffins. If there’s only one thing mixed into a muffin batter, it better taste good! Seems like a no brainer. It adds moisture, texture, and flavor. Warm blueberries are just…. Not to mention, my dad grows blueberry bushes in his garden, so we could just walk outside and pick some to bake with whenever we wanted. The dream. 

Anyway, a few years ago I was working at a coffee shop and starting doing some baking for them. I knew muffins had to be on the docket because good coffee + good muffins is a dreamy combo. I envisioned people eating the muffins of my childhood, sipping on a pourover or cap. I was so excited to try them out! I tested out my mom’s recipe over and over at the cafe, tweaking it multiple times, but they kept coming out super dry. Ugh! I was so bummed.

I scoured every cookbook I had to compare recipes. I took a break from eating muffins, and then I got back to testing. How many muffins did I end up baking? Eating? Who knows. But I finally came up with something I was happy with. Instead of oil I used melted butter, which seemed to hold up better in the oven with the fan on. A tasty compromise to mom’s muffins, and of course they were full of fresh blueberries. Even after my baking project ran its course and we started to source from a local company, one of my regulars would often ask if my muffins were ever going to make a comeback. It was a nice reminder that all of those muffins I consumed were not in vain!

big blueberry muffins

yield: 6 large muffins

2 cups flour
1 Tb. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
-
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 stick (4 oz) melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (half pint) fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a jumbo 6 muffin tin or line with paper liner cups. 

In a small saucepan or in the microwave, melt the stick of butter until just melted. Set aside

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until well combined. Add milk, melted butter and vanilla and mix well. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix just until combined. You won’t want to overmix because we still need to add the blueberries. Add the blueberries and very gently fold them into the batter, avoiding crushing the berries as you mix. 

Fill the muffin tins until each cup is about 3/4 of the way full. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until tops start to brown and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. After removed from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the muffins and prop them at an angle in the tin to allow cooling, or remove from the pan if you’ve used liners. Serve warm with slabs of butter, if you’d like. Muffins are always best the day of, but you can store airtight for a day or two more. We like to cut them in half and heat them on a griddle with butter the next day.

Try making these gluten free by subbing in gluten free all purpose for wheat. Try making these dairy free by using vegan butter/coconut oil/shortening and a milk alternative.

If you only have a standard 12 muffin tin, this recipe will make 12 small muffins. Adjust baking time to 15 minutes.