Blueberry Bliss Muffins are luscious, bright and rich in flavour and mouth feel. They’re full of wild blueberries, lemon zest and poppy seeds for extra texture. The richness comes from using full fat sour cream and butter rather than vegetable oil and milk.
As easy as muffins should be to make, I think a lot of cooks over mix the batter fearing that they haven’t got everything well enough combined. You’ve got lots of time to beat the butter, sugar and eggs into a fluffy mass. When it’s time to alternative the dry ingredients with the wet, be more discerning. I like to divide the dry and wet ingredients into three equal additions. It allows the batter to come together more quickly with less beater strokes. The last and most crucial addition is the fruit. It has to be done by hand with a gentle folding technique. This may sound anal but the less you mix your muffin batter the lighter they will be. That’s the magic.
To create the best Blueberry Bliss Muffins have all of your wet ingredients at room temperature. This helps create a better emulsification and way more batter volume hence a lighter muffin. If you’re using frozen wild blueberries, keep them in the freezer until just before you dust them with flour and fold into the batter.
Have the rest of your ingredients ready to add to the batter before you start mixing the ingredients together. This alleviates any possibility of your batter losing volume because it has to sit and wait for you to get organized.
Take the time to properly beat the butter and sugar until it’s smooth and creamy. Add your eggs one at a time to allow for maximum volume. Be sure to scrape down the batter on the side of the bowl to ensure everything gets incorporated.
Use the best quality unsalted butter that you can afford.
Cheap butter has more water which produces an inferior end product. If I’m taking the time to make homemade muffins, I want them to taste as good as possible. I use unsalted butter to control the salt taste. Salted butter will skew the flavour.
Once the butter, sugar and eggs are ready add the dry and wet ingredients in three equal additions, mixing until just combined. You’ll see little bits of flour after each addition. By the time you’re folding in the blueberries and poppy seeds all the dry flour will disappear.
Make sure to dust the blueberries with a heaping spoonful of flour. The flour coating helps to keep the fruit distributed throughout the batter rather than sinking to the bottom of the muffin producing a wet crust.
I use an ice cream scoop to portion the batter. It gives me pretty equal sized Blueberry Bliss Muffins.
On this bitter cold winter day in Atlantic Canada, nothing will fill your home with with the hope of warmer weather than a batch of Blueberry Bliss Muffins baking in your oven.
Thanks for reading.
Ingredients
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups white granulated sugar
2 lemons, zested
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 and 1/2 cups wild blueberries [I used frozen]
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425*F
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Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
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In a large bowl, sift together 3 cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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While the butter is mixing, whisk the sour cream and lemon juice together.
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In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour with the blueberries and toss until coated.
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With the mixer speed on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. DON'T OVER MIX!
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Fold the blueberries and poppy seeds into the batter BY HAND mixing just until evenly distributed.
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Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin tins using an ice cream scoop or two soup spoons.
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Bake for 5 minutes at 425*F then reduce oven to 375*F and bake an additional 18 - 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Cool muffins 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
THE LOVE: The number one rule for tender muffins is not to over mix.
