The Best Blueberry Muffins You'll Ever Have

Picture this: You wake up on a Saturday morning, and a delicious scent is wafting up the stairs. The culprit? Blueberry muffins. With real berries. And crumble. Below, Jennifer from Bake or Break revels how to make this happen...

The Best Blueberry Muffins You'll Ever Have
By Jennifer from Bake or Break

For most of my life, I had zero interest in blueberry muffins. I just wasn't impressed. Then, one glorious day, I realized that I'd only ever had mass-produced or from-a-mix versions. My hope was renewed, and I quickly discovered that a blueberry muffin can be a beautiful thing.

In this coffee-shop age, muffins have undergone a bit of an evolution. They've become less like a muffin and more like a cake. I prefer my muffins to be muffins. Here goes...

Recipe: Blueberry Crumb Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Crumb:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Using a fork, mix all ingredients together until well combined. Set aside.

Muffins:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 to 1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400°. For crisper edges, grease a standard muffin pan. For softer edges, use liners in each cup instead.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Stir in buttermilk. Add both sugars and mix until combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Stir in melted butter. Add flour mixture in two to three portions. Mix until there are still streaks of flour remaining. Stir in blueberries, mixing just until combined.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each cup of prepared pan. This should fill each cup almost to the top. Sprinkle tops of each muffin with crumb mixture.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack. Enjoy!
Thank you so much, Jennifer! Here's to amazing Saturday mornings in our future.

P.S. More best-of recipes, including chocolate bourbon banana bread and a lazy egg sandwich.

(Photos by Jennifer from Bake or Break; thanks to Shoko for help with this series)