Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Standard 12-cup muffin tin
• •Paper muffin liners
• •Large ice cream scoop or 1/4-cup measure
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the streusel

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt for the streusel. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the dry ingredients using your fingertips, pinching and rubbing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. These larger bits will melt and create the characteristic shaggy, crunchy topping. Refrigerate while you prepare the batter.

   Cold butter is essential. If your kitchen runs warm, freeze the cubed butter for ten minutes before starting.
2. 2

   Prepare the pan and oven

   Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425°F. This high temperature is not a typo. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or grease generously with butter. If your liners are thin, double them to prevent grease spots.

3. 3

   Combine wet ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. The mixture will look glossy and slightly thick. Pour in the milk, vanilla, and almond extract, whisking until smooth. The almond extract is quiet but essential. It doesn't make the muffins taste like almonds. It makes the blueberries taste more like blueberries.

   If you forgot to bring your eggs and milk to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes.
4. 4

   Add dry ingredients

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once. Using a large spatula or wooden spoon, fold gently until the flour is almost incorporated. You should still see streaks of flour and the batter should look rough, lumpy, and slightly wrong. Stop here. The urge to smooth it out is powerful. Resist it.

5. 5

   Fold in blueberries

   Add the blueberries and fold gently, no more than five or six strokes, just until the berries are distributed. Some will break. This is fine. The juice that bleeds out creates those beautiful purple streaks throughout the crumb. A few remaining flour pockets are acceptable and preferred over a tough, overworked muffin.

   Frozen blueberries work beautifully. Do not thaw them first. Fold them in frozen to prevent excess bleeding.
6. 6

   Fill the cups generously

   Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each nearly to the top. Use an ice cream scoop for even portions. The batter should mound slightly above the rim. Press three or four additional blueberries into the top of each muffin. These will burst during baking, creating jewel-toned pockets on the surface.

7. 7

   Add the streusel crown

   Remove the streusel from the refrigerator. Squeeze small handfuls into clumps and scatter generously over each muffin, pressing lightly so it adheres. Don't be shy. The streusel should form a substantial layer, nearly covering the visible batter. This topping is half the reason for making these muffins.

8. 8

   Bake with the temperature drop

   Place the muffins in the preheated 425°F oven. Bake for 8 minutes at this high temperature, then reduce the heat to 350°F without opening the door. Continue baking for 18 to 20 minutes more until the streusel is deeply golden, the tops spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

   The high initial heat creates steam that pushes the batter upward before the structure sets. This is the entire secret to bakery-style domes.
9. 9

   Cool before serving

   Let the muffins cool in the pan for five minutes. They need this time to set. Rushing will result in muffins that crumble when you try to remove them. Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool another ten minutes before eating. The interior continues cooking from residual heat, and the streusel crisps as it cools. Warm, not hot, is when these muffins reach perfection.

Chef Tips

• •Weigh your flour if you can. Measuring cups are imprecise, and too much flour is the most common cause of dense, dry muffins. Three cups should weigh 375 grams.
• •Fresh blueberries in season are ideal, but frozen wild blueberries are superior to mediocre fresh ones. Their smaller size means more berry distribution and more intense flavor.
• •The muffins are best the day they're baked, but they reheat beautifully. Wrap in foil and warm in a 300°F oven for ten minutes to revive the streusel's crunch.
• •For extra-tall muffins, let the batter rest in the refrigerator for one hour before baking. The cold batter hitting the hot oven creates even more dramatic rise.

Advance Preparation

• •The streusel can be made up to one week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to three months.
• •The dry ingredients can be whisked together the night before and left covered at room temperature.
• •Baked muffins freeze well for up to two months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and refresh in a 300°F oven for eight minutes.
• •For fresh-baked muffins with minimal morning effort, prepare the batter and fill the muffin cups the night before. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Add streusel and bake straight from the refrigerator, adding three to four minutes to the baking time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 muffin (about 115g)