Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins

Soft, sweet and full of flavor, these Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins are a delicious go-to breakfast or snack recipe, especially in the summer when berries are a-plenty at the grocery store or farms are offering pick-your-own! Two bowls, one spoon and twenty minutes—done! Read on to see how to make these muffins perfect every time!

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour - or gluten free flour substitute, or whole wheat flour
• Ground cinnamon
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Kosher salt
• Large eggs - room temperature
• Honey
• Coconut oil - melted and cooled
• Plain yogurt - any level of fat works fine
• Vanilla extract
• Blueberries - fresh or frozen

How to use frozen blueberries for muffins

If you need to use frozen blueberries, that still works great! Just be sure to add them to the batter while still frozen, otherwise they will turn the batter purple and then when baked, it comes out a weird grey color. Frozen blueberries are one of my pantry staples, since I can add them to smoothies, or make all sorts of baked goods with them. Plus, they're very cost effective when blueberries are not in season.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Use non-stick spray on a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside. Be sure to get all sides greased of each muffin cup.
  
• Whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add blueberries to dry ingredients and toss to coat. Mixing the blueberries with the flour will help to keep them from sinking to the bottom of your muffin. Set aside.
  
• In a separate bowl combine room temperature eggs, honey, coconut oil, room temperature yogurt, and vanilla. Using room temperature ingredients is very important! Using cold eggs or yogurt in this recipe causes the coconut oil to seize and would make a lumpy batter, stodgy texture and longer baking times.

how to get room temperature ingredients — fast!

Eggs — speed up the process of getting eggs to room temperature by dropping them gently into a bowl or cup full of hot water (not boiling) and let sit 5 minutes. Done!

Yogurt or Milk — To get yogurt to room temperature quickly, simple place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50% power in 15 second intervals, stirring each time.

Butter — the best way to soften butter to room temperature is to get a tall glass and fill with hot water. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the glass is hot. Empty the water and turn the glass upside down over the wrapped butter. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. this will gently warm the butter through to the center.

• Pour dry ingredients in with wet and stir until just combined. Always gently fold dry ingredients into wet to keep your muffin texture soft. Over mixing will cause dry, tough muffins. No one wants that!
  
• Scoop evenly using my favorite OXO 3 tablespoon scoop. Scooping like this will yield 12 perfect muffins. No pesky leftover batter or the need to wash two baking pans!
  
• Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. This is key to a great rise. This causes these blueberry muffins to shoot upward. Then lower your temp to 350°F to fully bake the center. Muffins should be slightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.
  
• Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
  
• Optional Topping - Almost every muffin tastes better with a crunchy, sugary topping, and these old fashioned blueberry muffins are no exception. It's optional, but really is better with it on top. Simply sprinkle ½ teaspoon of granulated white sugar on top of each muffin before baking.
  
• More Topping Ideas - I love a crumble on top of muffins to add extra sweetness and texture. Try the crumble on top of our popular Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Pear Muffins or Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Make with or without nuts. Delicious!

How to adjust this muffin recipe for any diet

Gluten Free

If you're gluten free or making these for someone gluten sensitive, try replacing the flour with King Arthur Flour's Measure for Measure. You can read here about why Measure for Measure is my favorite. All other ingredients are naturally gluten free. However, if you're making these muffins for someone with Celiac disease, there are other things you'll have to do to ensure there is zero cross contamination.

Here's a great article that outlines how to bake for someone with Celiac.

Egg Free

Easily replace the eggs with my favorite flaxseed and water substitute. 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoon of water for each egg. Whisk until the texture becomes "egg-like" or about a minute.  See a handy egg replacement chart here at my Vegan Vanilla Baked Donut for other egg replacement options.

Vegan Option

Replace the eggs with the flaxseed mix mentioned above. The yogurt helps these blueberry muffins retain moisture and can easily be replaced with a nut-based yogurt. There are so many options available now. If you can only find flavored vegan yogurt, get vanilla, it will barely adjust the flavor.

The honey can be replaced with maple syrup or even just granulated sugar (make sure to get vegan granulated sugar though).

Muffin Recipe Variations

These muffins are delicious just as they are, but there are a few fun ways to mix it up with these easy additions!

1. If you love almond extract this is a great time to use it! Simply add one teaspoon of almond extract to the wet ingredients and mix as usual. The almond gives it a unique flavor and is a delightful way to change things up!
   
2. Add some extra zing with lemon zest! Just the zest of one lemon will lift the flavor of the muffin and make it just right for spring or summer. Simply add the zest along with the blueberries in the flour mixture. Also mix a little lemon zest with some sugar for sprinkling on top. Yum!
   
3. Chocolate chips and blueberries may seem like an odd combination, but my son introduced it to me and turns out, it's delicious! I even bought a chocolate bar with blueberries from Ikea last week. Surprisingly delicious! Simply reduce the blueberries to ¾ cup and add ¾ cup chocolate chips to the flour mixture and mix and bake per the recipe.

How to Make Extra Large Bakery-Style Muffins

It's really easy to make these muffins like the ones you get at a bakery — big enough for a filling breakfast. Try using these 6 cup muffin pans and scoop batter evenly between all 6 cups. Increase the bake time to 425°F for 8 minutes and then reduce heat to 350°F for 15 minutes, checking center for doneness with a toothpick or fork.

More quick and simple muffin recipes

• Apple Cinnamon Crumble Muffins - with a gluten free option
  
• Buttermilk Raspberry Muffins - one bowl recipe with a sweet jam filling
  
• Morning Glory Muffins - dairy free, super healthy and kids love them
  
• Easy Pear Muffins - one of our most popular recipes
  
• Healthy Banana Muffins - naturally sweetened and a family favorite
  
• Blueberry Muffin Cake - put all your muffins in one pan, perfect for breakfast or dessert
  
• Or check our all of our delicious muffin recipes!

The best way to store old fashioned blueberry muffins

The best way to store muffins is in a zip top bag lined with a paper towel. The paper towel will soak up any extra moisture and keep the muffins from "sweating" and getting sticky. They'll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Can I freeze muffins?

Yes! Once muffins have cooled completely, place on a baking sheet, being sure they're not touching each other, and freeze for 30 minutes — this will make it easy to grab just one muffin at a time. Once frozen, place in a zip top bag and then another zip top bag to keep from freezer burn.

To reheat frozen muffins, pop one or two muffins in the microwave for about 15 seconds or until the center is warmed through. Top with butter and enjoy any time of day!