Best Ever Blueberry Muffins - 2.0

On a beautiful day last week I went blueberry picking at an orchard in southeast Michigan with two good friends. Little did we know when we set off on this adventure that the blueberries we picked were going to ones well worth the five hour round trip drive. Picking the berries was much easier and went so much faster than we recalled from our prior blueberry picking days. In less than an hour we had each picked four and a half pounds of the most delicious, plump, large, sweet-tart blueberries. If blueberries could be entered in a beauty contest these would definitely be contenders for the crown! I don't think I have ever tasted a juicier, sweeter, tarter blueberry in my life. 

On the trip back home I started to mull over what I immediately wanted to make with my bounty. On the short list of immediate possibilities was my favorite Balsamic Blueberry Jam and some blueberry muffins. Way back in 2013 I posted a recipe for the Best Ever Blueberry Muffins. And to this day I still love this recipe. But rather than create a completely new blueberry muffin recipe (because sometimes a bit of a make-over versus a complete do-over is the smartest thing to do), I thought maybe I should tinker with my favorite recipe by making a version piled high with a crunchy, slightly sweet, cinnamon streusel topping. Which is what I did. The result of my fiddling was this Best Ever Blueberry Muffins - 2.0 recipe. And I have to say, this quite possibly is really great (dare I even say exceptional) blueberry muffin. Not only is this version more perfectly domed, the crunchy-sweet streusel topping was a seriously good over-the-top enhancement. 

Other than adding the streusel topping, what else did I change? Well, I reduced the amount of butter in the batter from 8 tablespoons to 6, added a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to help give the baking powder more of a lift, eliminated the walnuts, omitted the step of mashing some blueberries to be mixed in with the batter, slightly increased the amount of vanilla, added some cinnamon, and now suggest a range in the amount of fresh blueberries to be used. Did I make good decisions or did I completely ruin a perfectly good best-ever recipe? Let's just say I have zero regrets over any of the changes made. 

I happen to love the look of muffins in parchment paper baking cups. While you can probably buy parchment paper squares, it's really easy to make your own. Simply cut up parchment paper in 5" squares. You can make these muffins in a greased or in paper muffin liners, but if you want that bakery-style look, consider using parchment paper baking cups.

There is enough batter to make 12 muffins, but if I were to make these again (and I definitely will) I might make only 11 muffins because I like a big muffin. The batter for the muffins is thick so using a large ice cream scoop (like one 2 1/4 inches in diameter) helps ensures all of the muffins are the same size. 

You are going to think you have made too much streusel. Trust me when I tell you that you have not. You want to pile the streusel high on each muffin. The amount of streusel will not prevent your muffins from doming up. 

Baking the muffins at a high temperature (e.g.,400 degrees F) helps to create taller, bakery-style domed tops as well as a crunchier top if you are only topping with sugar.  In other words, you get a more magnificent looking muffin when you bake at a higher temperature.

The flavor and texture of these blueberry muffins exceeded all of my expectations. I loved them. Although in full disclosure I loved them even more when I slathered them with some creamy, room temperature butter. Was the butter really necessary? No, it wasn't. Just like ketchup or aioli isn't necessary when eating french fries. 

July and August are the best months for picking and/or buying fresh blueberries. So now is the perfect time to make these blueberry muffins with fresh versus frozen berries. Happy Best Ever Blueberry Muffins - 2.0 making!

Recipe

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins - 2.0

Makes 11-12 scrumptious muffins

Ingredients

Muffins

2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg, room temperature and lightly whisked

1/2 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 3/4 to 2 cups (298-340g) fresh blueberries (see notes)

1-2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Streusel

1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (67g) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

Flaky sea salt for finishing

Optional but really good: A dish of room temperature butter

Directions

Streusel

1. In a medium sized bowl combine all of the ingredients for the streusel. Mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator while making the batter for the muffins.

Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F).  Prepare your muffin tin by greasing the tins with butter or with lining with cupcake or parchment paper (5" square) liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, Kosher salt and cinnamon. Mix well.

3. In a medium sized bowl, combine the egg, milk, vanilla and cooled melted butter. 

4. Make a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients. Blend well but don't over blend.

5. Mix the blueberries with 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Add in the flour coated blueberries to the batter. Using a spatula, stir to combine.

6. Using a large ice cream scoop, evenly scoop the batter into each of the muffin tins. 

7. Generously top each with the chilled streusel. Lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

8. Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet. Bake the muffins for 22-24 minutes or until they lightly spring back when pressing on the center of the muffin or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

9. Remove the muffins from the oven. Let rest in the hot muffin tin for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

10. Enjoy warm or let come to room temperature. Serve with or without a dish of room temperature butter.

11. Cooled muffins can be stored in freezer if packaged in a Ziplock bag. Either let come to room temperature before serving or reheat at 50% power in the microwave in 30 seconds increments until desired warmth is attained.

Notes: (1) You can make your own parchment paper muffin liners by cutting out 5" squares of parchment paper. Center the squares over each muffin indentation and press down with a small glass. When you add the muffin batter to each one the paper will sink down to the bottom of the tin. (2) You can use frozen blueberries. Toss them in the flour as well so they don't sink to the bottom of the muffin. (3) These muffins freeze well! (4) If you have any leftover muffins and you are not going to freeze them, store them in the refrigerator well covered. It helps to keep the streusel topping crispy. If you don't like eating a cold muffin, just reheat them in the microwave. (5) I like my muffins loaded with blueberries, so I made these with 2 cups. If you don't, back off the amount to 1 3/4 or maybe even 1 1/2 cups. 

 DeGrandchamp Farms, South Haven, Michigan (July 2026)