If you’re looking for a low fat muffin recipe, unfortunately, this isn’t the recipe for you. But if you’re looking for a really good homemade blueberry muffin recipe — or raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, etc — this one’s a winner!
That’s right, this thick, rich batter can stand up to any of your favorite berries, so if your strawberries are going south, toss them in. Or if you have an overabundance of blueberries, mix up a batch of blueberry muffins. You can even mix and match your berries to taste.
I used raspberries for this batch, but whatever berry you decide to use, don’t skip the final step before popping them in the oven. Sprinkle the top of the batter liberally with granulated sugar!
I learned this tip as a teenager when I worked at McDonald’s, baking up the muffins every weekend morning. The sugar is what gives the muffins their lovely crunchy, coffee shop-style tops. Try it… I guarantee plain muffin tops just won’t do in the future!
A few tips for best results:
- Follow the instructions for mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately.
- Be careful not to over mix your batter. It will still be lumpy, and this is fine.
- Don’t overfill your muffin cups — 3/4 full is the perfect amount.
You may also want to check out this post on how to bake BIG bakery style muffins using this recipe! Actually the tips I share will work with just about ANY muffin recipe.
Customizable Berry Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on tops
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups berries of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease two 12-cup muffin tins or line with paper liners.
- Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in melted butter. The batter will be very crumbly at this point.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add this mixture a little at a time to the butter mixture and stir until combined. The batter will still be slightly lumpy at this point.
- Toss the berries of your choice with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Gently fold the berries and flour into the batter.
- Fill each paper-lined muffin cup 3/4 full, and sprinkle generously with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Tip: try these parchment paper muffin liners!
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.
Julie J.
Friday 7th of December 2012
The recipe sounds delish BUT do you know how to make homemade Buttermilk since I don't have any?? I think its milk with lemon juice put in it??? Any thoughts on this
Tara @ Unsophisticook
Friday 7th of December 2012
Yes, instead of buttermilk you could stir 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar into just under 1 1/2 cups of milk. Let it stand for about 5 minutes and then you can use it in place of the buttermilk in this recipe.
Cassie
Wednesday 3rd of October 2012
What a great recipe, fun photos too! I love muffins but I definitely need to make them more often!
Paula - bell'alimento
Wednesday 3rd of October 2012
What this isn't low fat ; ) LOL I absolutely love adding sugar to the tops too! Great tip.
[email protected]
Wednesday 3rd of October 2012
Muffins are favorite around here! Love the sugary, crunchy top!
Elizabeth @Food Ramblings
Wednesday 3rd of October 2012
yum! can't wait to try it with different kinds of berries!