It has, sadly, been too long since I shared a baking recipe with all of my very patient readers.  I have had less time to bake as I continue working on the retail side of Sweet Jumbles, trying to keep up with our Gourmet Marshmallow orders.  Earlier this summer we celebrated our 1,000th order (that’s order of any size, not individual item, and some orders are quite large!) and things have been consistently busy all year.

Fortunately, I found a day when the heat and humidity didn’t preclude me from baking, I had time on my hands, and lo and behold blueberries were on sale! So, I put to test a well-regarded blueberry muffin recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. ATC’s recipes are usually quite reliable, and this one did not disappoint. Because a blueberry “jam” is made and incorporated into the muffin mix, unlike typical blueberry muffins these have sweet blueberry flavor in every single bite. The jam only takes a short time to make and the payoff is well worth it.  And, you don’t even need to use a mixer for this recipe – all the mixing is done by hand.

Best Blueberry Muffins
Slightly modified from: America’s Test Kitchen

Blueberry Jam
1 ¼ c fresh blueberries
1 ¼ c sugar
2 t finely grated lemon zest

Lemon Sugar Topping
1/3 c sugar
1 ½ t lemon zest

Muffins
2 ½ c all-purpose flour
2 ½ t baking powder
1 t sea salt
2 large eggs
1 1/8 c sugar
4 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
4 T vegetable oil
1 ½ t vanilla extract
1 c buttermilk
1 1/3 c fresh blueberries

Instructions

• Make the Jam. Combine berries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Break berries with the back of a spoon while you stir, and cook down to about ¼ cup. Let cool.
• Make the Topping.  Mix sugar and lemon zest together in a small bowl.  Set aside.
• Make the Muffins.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.  Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until light yellow, about 45-60 seconds.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, vanilla, and buttermilk.  Add egg mixture and continue to whisk until well combined.
• Fold wet mixture into the flour mixture with a spatula.  Mix gently, leaving batter slightly lumpy.  Fold in fresh blueberries.
• Divide batter evenly among lined muffin tins (approx. 18).  Spoon about 1 teaspoon of jam onto the tops of each muffin and then swirl it in to the batter with a knife or toothpick.
• Sprinkle each muffin with some lemon-sugar.
• Bake 16-19 minutes or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted to the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
• Cool in tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
• EAT!