Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

“Little Sal picked three berries and dropped them in her little tin pail…
kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!”
–Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

So let’s face it — blueberry muffin recipes are pretty similar. You can tweak it here and there but when it comes down to it, the basic ingredients are…well basic!. There’s not a lot of variations, one egg or two, butter or oil, a little or a lot of sugar…I believe the uniqueness of  your muffin comes more with how you “dress” it. Lemon icing? Streusel topping? Me? I went old school when I made my muffins this week. As kids, we always had a bowl of homemade cinnamon sugar sitting on the counter. When the Pepperidge Farm White Bread would pop up out of the toaster, we would slather on butter, top with the cinnamon sugar and watch it melt into the toast. It was incredible. In an attempt to revive my childhood memory, I created my version of Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins. I have to tell you, they were pretty darn incredible too!! Just like Little Sal’s blueberries, these muffins went kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!! All gone…

Begin by making the sugary topping: mix the raw sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Generously grease your muffin tin with butter and preheat your oven to 350º.

Next, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Then, blend the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and blend again.

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Blend in the milk and vanilla. Lastly, add the blueberries to the batter very carefully so as not to crush the berries. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins and generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on each muffin top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Look how those plump blueberries explode with flavor!

Rest each muffin on a wire rack to cool (or, if you’re like me,  don’t let them cool–enjoy hot out of the oven!!).

Brew up a pot of coffee or tea and enjoy a lovely morning breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen*)

For the topping:
3 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Makes 12 muffins

* I like using fresh blueberries much more than frozen. Frozen berries aren’t nearly as plump and juicy as fresh and they often turn your batter purple.

Tips for Success

• Soften the butter properly. Leave the stick out on the counter for about an hour. Soft butter creams with the sugar into a light, fluffy base that gives you tender muffins.
• Toss the berries in flour. Before folding the blueberries in, toss them with a spoonful of the flour mixture. This helps keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
• If you do use frozen berries, keep them in the freezer until the very last second and fold them in gently. That keeps the purple streaks to a minimum.
• Be generous with the topping. That crunchy cinnamon sugar crust is the whole point, so do not be shy.
• Fill the cups evenly. An ice cream scoop makes it easy to portion the same amount of batter into every cup so they all bake at the same rate.

Ingredient Swaps and Variations

Any milk works in place of skim. Whole milk gives you a slightly richer crumb. If you do not have raw sugar for the topping, regular granulated sugar is fine, though you will miss a little of that big sparkly crunch. In late summer I sometimes swap half the blueberries for raspberries or chopped peaches. A little lemon zest stirred into the batter is lovely with the blueberries too, and it plays nicely with the cinnamon.

Storage and Freezing

These muffins are at their very best the day they are baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Lay a paper towel in the bottom of the container to soak up extra moisture so the tops stay nice. For longer storage, freeze the cooled muffins in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter or warm them in a 300 degree F oven for about 10 minutes and they taste freshly baked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these as mini muffins?

Yes. Fill greased mini muffin cups and start checking them at about 12 minutes since they bake much faster than standard muffins.

Why did my muffins stick to the pan?

The blueberries can burst and caramelize against the pan. Grease every cup generously with butter, including the rim, and let the muffins rest in the tin for about 5 minutes before lifting them out.

Mandy

Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

Classic blueberry muffins with a warm hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, finished with a crunchy cinnamon and raw sugar topping.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 muffins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Muffins

• 1 stick unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen, fresh preferred
• butter for greasing the muffin tin

Topping

• 3 tbsp raw sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Method

 

1. Mix the raw sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Generously grease a muffin tin with butter and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and blend again.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
6. Blend in the milk and vanilla.
7. Gently fold in the blueberries, taking care not to crush them.
8. Spoon the batter into the greased muffin cups and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar generously over each one.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool the muffins on a wire rack, or enjoy them warm from the oven.

Notes

Fresh blueberries give the plumpest, juiciest muffins. Frozen berries can turn the batter purple.