Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

A thick vanilla-lemon batter and a short 425 F oven burst create high-domed blueberry muffins with tender crumbs and crisp sugar tops.

57 min

12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, unthawed if frozen

2 tbsp coarse sugar

Standard 12-cup muffin pan · Paper liners · Large mixing bowl · Medium mixing bowl · Whisk · Rubber spatula · Wire rack · Toothpick or cake tester

Avoid a soggy crumb

Do not thaw frozen blueberries, and do not overmix once the flour or berries are added.

Store at room temperature

Cool completely, then keep airtight for up to two days; refresh briefly in a low oven if desired.

01. Heat the oven to 425 F and line all 12 cups so the thick batter can go straight into the hot oven.

02. Whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly so the baking powder is evenly distributed through the flour.

03. Whisk the butter, room-temperature eggs, milk, vanilla, and zest separately until the mixture is smooth.

04. Fold wet into dry only until the flour disappears; a lumpy batter keeps the finished crumb tender.

05. Fold in fresh berries or frozen berries straight from the freezer with only a few strokes to prevent purple streaks.

06. Portion the batter nearly to the rim of each cup and shower with coarse sugar; the generous fill is what produces bakery-height domes.

07. Start at 425 F for 5 minutes, then lower to 375 F without opening the door so the domes stay lifted.

08. Test a batter-only spot after 12 minutes at 375 F, looking for a clean tester or a few moist crumbs.

09. Cool briefly in the pan, then use a rack to keep the bottoms from steaming and softening.