Blueberry Muffins

These blueberry muffins are absolutely amazing. I've shared some other muffin recipes before and these are definitely tied for first place (if not the winner!) with the oatmeal blueberry muffins. I love blueberry muffins, even though I don't like blueberries by themselves. These muffins have intensified blueberry flavor with the addition of a simple syrup. People make the mistake of adding more and more blueberries to boost flavor, but then they get a soggy muffin. The genius chefs at Cook's Illustrated have proven that concentrating the blueberry flavor is key. And then they decided to take delicious to the next level and add a lemon sugar topping that really makes these muffins special. You have to give these muffins a try!

Blueberry Muffins
Prep: 20 minutes / Bake: 16-18 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins

Blueberry Syrup:
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon sugar

Muffins:
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
zest from one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a small saucepan, combine blueberry syrup ingredients. Cook and mash berries slightly over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, 10-15 minutes. I stuck mine in the fridge to cool. You may find that the frozen blueberries take longer to cook down.

2. While the syrup cools, wash remaining blueberries and dry on paper towels. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until thickened. Slowly add the butter and oil into the egg mixture, whisking continually. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla. Fold egg mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Do not overmix, the batter will be lumpy.

3. Combine the lemon zest and sugar in a small bowl.

4. Fill the muffin cups until 3/4 full. Spoon a teaspoon of the cooked blueberry syrup into the center of each cup. Use a skewer or toothpick to gently swirl the syrup into the batter. Sprinkle lemon topping over the muffins.

5. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack. Wait 5 minutes before serving.

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Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated and My Kitchen Cafe

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My Review

• Preparation: 4
• Taste: 5
• Cost: 5
• Clean-up: 3