- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (67g) chopped walnuts (or pecans)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream or plain/vanilla yogurt at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh or frozen blueberries
12-count muffin pan
Muffin liners
Handheld mixer
Prep the panPreheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with paper liners. If you skip the liners, grease the cavities thoroughly with softened butter or cooking spray and flour each one. Make the streuselStir the brown sugar, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon together in a small bowl until combined. Set aside. Whisk the dry ingredientsWhisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. A few small lumps are fine. Cream the butter and sugarsBeat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the wet ingredientsAdd the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until the batter looks uniform. Add the dry ingredients and milk, mixing on low speed just until the flour disappears. The batter will be thick, which is exactly the consistency needed for a blueberry muffin recipe that rises tall rather than spreads flat. Fold in the berriesAdd the blueberries and fold them in with a spatula using gentle strokes. A few broken berries are fine. Aggressive stirring turns the whole batter purple and breaks down the berry texture. Fill and topSpoon the batter into the liners, filling each one to the very top. Press a generous pinch of streusel onto each muffin and press it lightly into the surface so it doesn't slide off during baking. Bake with the temperature dropBake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for another 16 to 19 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. The initial high heat forces the batter to dome upward fast before the structure sets, producing the tall, rounded tops you see at a bakery.
Recipe Notes
🍋 Add lemon zest for a citrus upgrade.
One tablespoon of lemon zest stirred into the batter transforms these into lemon blueberry muffins with a brighter, more complex flavor. The citrus cuts through the richness of the sour cream and makes the blueberry flavor taste more vivid. Lemon zest adds flavor without adding liquid, so it requires no other adjustments to the recipe. ✨
🥛 Sour cream is non-negotiable for the crumb.
The fat and acidity in sour cream tenderize the gluten and react with the baking soda to create lift. Full-fat plain yogurt or full-fat Greek yogurt substitutes 1:1 in a pinch. Low-fat dairy produces a noticeably drier result. Skim versions make the batter behave differently and the muffin denser. ⚠️
🌾 Gluten-free swap works with a 1:1 flour blend.
Replace the all-purpose flour with a certified gluten-free 1:1 blend that contains xanthan gum. The batter behaves slightly thicker than the original, so add one extra tablespoon of milk if it looks too stiff to fold the berries in cleanly. These gluten-free blueberry muffins bake at the same temperature and time as the original recipe. 🥜
