Blue Velvet
“They left the valley road and drove into the worn and rutted hills over a set of wheel tracks gulleyed by the winter rains. The horses strained into their collars and the buckboard rocked and swayed. The year had not been kind to the hills, and already in June they were dry and the stones showed through the short, burned feed.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
Spending time picking blueberries was a wonderful way to begin summer. With bursts of sunshine punching through a sky filled with cotton candy fog I bravely left my sweatshirt in the car. It didn’t take very long to load up with blueberries. I came home with a bucket of blue velvet. Pure summer bliss!
These muffins are so tender and light that if they were frosted they could easily be mistaken for cupcakes. They might even be better than most cupcakes. Especially when it’s acceptable to eat muffins for breakfast and cupcakes are reserved for dessert. These blueberry muffins are excellent without the topping. But my goodness, the doughnut topping seals the deal, making a great muffin magnificent.
I’d forgotten about making muffins. I’m not sure why. Muffins were one of the first things I learned to bake. My mom often made bran muffins on the weekends. My dad loved bananas and favored her banana-walnut muffins. She made double batches and stored them in the freezer. Each morning she sent him out the door with a package of two banana-walnut muffins that would defrost by the time he stopped for mid-morning coffee.
Essentials
This recipe comes from the great Flo Braker’s, Baking for all Occasions . This is another great baking book. Her recipes are flawless, always excellent. I could happily bake my way through this wonderful cookbook. So many recipes, so little time. This recipe makes 12 muffins. This is all Flo’s recipe, I changed the instructions to reflect how I made her recipe.
| Blueberry Muffins | |
| 2C | all-purpose flour |
| 1/2C | sugar |
| 2t | baking powder |
| 1/2t | baking soda |
| 1/2t | fine grain sea salt |
| 3/4C | buttermilk |
| 1/3C/3oz | unsalted butter, melted and cooled |
| 2 | eggs |
| 1 | lemon, zested |
| 1t | vanilla extract |
| 1-1/2C | fresh blueberries |
| Doughnut Topping | |
| 1/2C | sugar |
| 1t | cinnamon |
| 1t | cardamon |
| 1/3C/3oz | unsalted butter, melted and cooled |
- Heat the oven to 375°. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease and flour the cups.
- In a large bowl sift or shake though a sieve the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, cooled butter, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold together just until combined. Do not over mix or the muffins will be tough. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Fill the muffin cups almost to the top, distributing the batter evenly. Bake the muffins for 20-23 minutes. They will have domed tops, be golden brown around the edges and some of the blueberries will have burst. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack.
- While the muffins bake and cool make the doughnut topping by mixing together the sugar cinnamon and cardamon.
- Once the muffins are cool enough to handle dip the exposed muffin tops in the melted butter and then dip in the sugar mixture.
I just made this recipe and WOW!!! My oven has turned out numerous blueberry muffin recipes, but this one is, without a doubt, one of the best and a favorite that I will make over and over. I work in the catering department of an upscale market and I took a batch to work. Even the chefs couldn’t stop raving over the tender cake and the delicious topping. Thanks so much for sharing this outstanding recipe.
Thank you Jim! I appreciate your wonderful comment!
I’ve got 26 wild blueberry bushes that line our orchard and they are loaded this year. They won’t be ready to pick until the first part of July. The berries are tiny but will still be terrific in your muffin recipe.
Thank you for commenting Karen. Very envious of your blueberry bushes! Our soil is too alkaline (Salinas means salt marsh) to grow blueberries without replacing the soil. We are trying three bushes in large planters, with fingers crossed!
Wow. Best combination ever! Nothing can beat a good muffin 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful comment Cathleen!
You need only mention donut and I am in!! These look scrumptious! I enjoy berry picking, but I am afraid I’ll miss it this year, but looking forward to the various farmers’ markets!
Thank you Jacquee! I very much enjoy the local u-picks but their season is much too short. The farmers market or grocery store is a fabulous place to find summer berries.
I adore these, Deb! Blueberry muffins are so classic, not to mention my favorite muffin flavor of all time. Your donut topping looks divine: definitely giving these a try when my family and I head to florida in a few weeks for vacation! I’m sure they’ll be a hit.
Thank you Shannon! Florida sounds wonderful!
Oh Deb, I am so envious of your freshly picked blueberries. A breakfast muffin is a delight, but one made with blueberries right from the bush would certainly be heaven.
Mary thank you! Fresh blueberries are divine!
What delightful blueberry muffins, I love the sparkling sugar & spice topping!
Thank you Laura!
Wow, I want one for breakfast. I love the memories of your mom’s muffins and your dad’s mid-morning coffee. So sweet.
Valentina, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
How did you know how much I love blueberry muffins. The idea of the doughnut topping is great, especially the little surprise of cardamom. A plan for this weekend! Thanks as always for the inspiration Deb!
oh Beth, I hope you try the recipe. It is wonderful! Thank you for the great comment.
Beautifully done and just in time for breakfast;)
I’ve never tried blueberry picking but it sounds like fun!
Thank you Patty! My husband adores blueberries and is always willing to help with the picking.
Mmm, blueberry season should reach us here soon as well! I love blueberry muffins, and I love doughnuts, so I think I will have to try out your recipe this summer. Thanks Deb!
Thank you Cathy! Summer berries are the best!
How wonderful to pick fresh berries then immediately dunk them in batter. Mmm. Our strawberries are in full swing with raspberries and other more native berries (e.g. loganberry and blaeberries) coming soon. This looks a lovely recipe to try with them, Deb. I’ve never done a doughnut topping. Can you clarify the sugar amount for this topping?
Thank you for the gracious comment & catching my typo! The doughnut topping has 1/2 cup sugar in the recipe. I had lots left over though!
Deb, those muffins look fantastic, I would love to have one right now. I can see myself baking them and sharing them with friends and a cup of tea.
Thank you for the wonderful comment Gerlinde! These muffins would be lovely with coffee or tea!
Beautiful muffins! Thanks for sharing these, Deb.
Thank you Vivianne!
Lovely photos of almost-summer in your neck of the woods. Those muffins look so tender and delicious!
Thank you Carol! We had one day of sunshine yesterday and now it’s back to the fog, LOL!
This is perfect. The quintessential blueberry muffin with a little bling on top. What I would do for one right now…
I forgot how easy and quick muffins are to make! This is a scrumptious recipe. Thank you Lynda!
These are muffins to wow and make us drool… and drool!
Thank you for the great comment Denise!