Baking is a whole different story from cooking and I find it much more difficult. It requires you to measure ingredients accurately and is much less forgiving.  Thank goodness, Lorelei, my sister, is the queen of baking. She has perfected the art of making cookies, brownies, marshmallows, and other sweet treats. One of my favorite baked goods, which I beg her to make regularly, is her mouthwatering blueberry muffins. 

These muffins are really good. As a matter of fact the last time I served these my good friend, noted photographer and disciplined consumer of food threw caution to the wind and ate so many he was unable to enjoy dessert, had to be rolled out the door with a big fat tummy. Ahh the things that make a home cook happy.

The topping is crunchy and lemony, and the muffins are tender and packed with berries. The lemon brings a clean freshness to each bite and is a surefire way to elevate any brunch, birthday, or holiday celebration.  

America’s Test Kitchen – Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients for the Lemon Sugar Topping

• 1/3 C  Granulated sugar
• Zest from 1 lemon

Ingredients for Blueberry Muffins

• 2 C Blueberries 
• 1 1/8 C + 1t Granulated sugar (⅛ Cup = 2 Tablespoons of sugar)
• 2 ½ C All-purpose flour
• 2 ½ t  Baking powder
• 1 t Kosher salt
• 2  Eggs, room temperature
• 4 T  Unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
• ¼ C Canola oil
• 1 C Buttermilk, room temperature
• Finely grated zest of one lemon 1 ½ t  Vanilla extract

Instructions for Lemon Sugar Topping

• Mix the sugar and zest together until the sugar is moistened.

Instructions for Blueberry Muffins

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Bring 1 cup berries and 1 tsp sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mash and stir while they cook until the berries have broken down, and the mixture is thick and reduced to 1/4 cup. This should take about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Cool to room temperature, which should take 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) together in a large bowl. 
• Whisk 1 ⅛ cup sugar and eggs in a medium bowl until thick and color becomes yellow. Slowly whisk in the oil and butter until combined. 
• Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest and vanilla until combined. 
• Fold wet mixture and remaining berries into flour mixture until just moistened (lumpy is fine). Do not overmix. 
• Using an ice cream scoop divide among 12 greased muffin cups. It should fill the cups completely. Spoon 1 tsp cooked berries on the top of each muffin, gently swirl it into batter using a chopstick or a skewer and a figure-eight motion. 
• Sprinkle lemon sugar over the top of each muffin.
• Bake at 425°F until the tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
• Recipe Notes
• You can use frozen or fresh blueberries, or a mixture of the two. If using frozen berries for compote, no need to thaw. If using frozen berries for folding into muffins, make sure you thaw and drain the extra liquid so that the muffins don’t get gummy.