Who doesn't love a sky-high muffin top? These bakery-style blueberry lemon muffins yield a fluffy, tall dome, just like the ones from the bakery! After all, aren't the muffin tops just the best?
I have a slight obsession with blueberries. I find that they work in both sweet and savory dishes. It helps when you have delicious, fresh berries practically in your backyard (I may be biased, but New Jersey blueberries are the best).
But what's even better than sweet, fresh blueberries are those freakishly tall muffin tops that seem to only appear in coffee shops and bakeries. Well, not anymore! They're super easy to replicate at home with the right batter and a few tricks, so let's get baking.
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How to get super tall domes
There are a few tricks out there for making tall, bakery-style muffins (and no, it's not about using a bigger pan). Some recipes use high heat for the first few minutes, or rest the batter in the fridge. For these tall blueberry lemon muffins, we're simply using a lot of batter and filling them way more than you would with a typical muffin recipe.
To help them grow even more, I like to use 2 pans and fill every other muffin well. This allows room for expansion, and since there is a decent amount of batter, the muffin tops won't spread into each other.
Making the muffins
Making muffins is as easy as mixing dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, and combining the two. Choose smaller blueberries if you can, so you get more bang for your buck (they also tend to be much sweeter).
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, adding the cooled butter last.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries (gently) so they don't get smushed.
Step 4: Fill every other well of the muffin tin with batter (a lot of it). The batter should come up over the tops of the wells by at least ¾ of an inch.
Bake at 350℉ for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs.
*These are abbreviated instructions. The full list of directions can be found in the recipe card below.
👩🍳Expert muffin tips
- Weigh your flour. It's easy to overfill measuring cups when scooping flour, so for the best result, use a scale, or spoon the flour into measuring cups.
- Don't skip the muffin liners. They'll make your life easier. No muffin liners? Just use a generous amount of baking spray.
- Fill every other well. This allows steam to escape and helps the muffins grow tall without spreading into each other. It helps if you have 2 standard muffin tins, but if you don't, you can bake them in 2 batches.
- Use smaller blueberries. They are usually much sweeter and easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Try aluminum-free baking powder. This will eliminate the metallic taste that sometimes regular baking powder imparts, but you'll have to work quickly! It activates with liquid (not heat), so as soon as everything is mixed, get those muffins in the oven!
Additional flavor boosters
The ginger and vanilla give these muffins just the right amount of flavor, without overpowering the blueberries. However, to add a little more zing, try adding:
- Cinnamon (up to 1 teaspoon)
- Cardamom (up to ½ teaspoon)
- Orange zest (instead of the lemon, or a combo of both)
- Lemon extract for more lemon flavor
- A mix of summer berries, such as strawberries or raspberries
- Use wild blueberries instead (packed with even more flavor)
Save some for a rainy day
To store muffins, first allow them to cool completely. Store in a lidded container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Muffins can also be frozen for a rainy day. To freeze, wrap each one in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Frequently asked question
Yes! Go ahead, no need to thaw them first.
No problem! You can either bake 6 at a time, then reuse the same pan for the remainder of the batter, or just go ahead and use one pan. The worst that will happen is that the muffin tops might spill over onto each other (giving the appearance of a uni-muffin).
More berry recipes
These recipes are so BERRY good!
Made this recipe? I'd love to hear about it. Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment below the recipe. Snapped a photo? Tag @brunchandbatter on Instagram so I can see your creation!
📖Recipe
Bakery-Style Blueberry Lemon Muffins
Equipment
- 1 (preferably 2) 12-cup (standard) muffin pans
- muffin liners or baking spray
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 teaspoons, divided (Set aside the 2 teaspoons to toss with the blueberries)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream or crème fraiche, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature (can use 2%)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large lemon, zested
- 1½-2 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 tablespoon turbinado (Sugar in the Raw), for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners, placing liners in every other cup to allow more space between the muffins (you could also use baking spray).
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt. Set aside.3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 teaspoons, divided, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, sour cream, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Add in the cooled butter and stir until just combined.1 cup white granulated sugar, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed, 1 cup full-fat sour cream or crème fraiche, room temperature, 1 cup whole milk, room temperature, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 1½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, 10 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, or until you no longer see any flour streaks. The batter will be lumpy. Toss the blueberries in the 2 teaspoons of flour, then gently fold the blueberries and the lemon zest into the batter to combine.1½-2 cups fresh blueberries, 1 large lemon, zested
- Fill each prepared muffin cup with batter. The batter should be over the muffin cups by about ¾ inch. This will ensure they bake up nice and tall. Sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar.3 tablespoon turbinado (Sugar in the Raw), for sprinkling
- Bake at 350℉ for 30-35 minutes until the tops are golden brown, or a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Weigh your flour. It's easy to overfill measuring cups when scooping flour, so for the best result, use a scale, or spoon the flour into measuring cups.
- Don't skip the muffin liners. They'll make your life easier. No muffin liners? Just use a generous amount of baking spray.
- Fill every other well. This allows steam to escape and helps the muffins grow tall without spreading into each other. It helps if you have 2 standard muffin tins, but if you don't, you can bake them in 2 batches.
- Use smaller blueberries. They are usually much sweeter and easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Toss the blueberries in a little flour. Tossing the blueberries in a little flour will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom when baking.
- Try aluminum-free baking powder. This will eliminate the metallic taste that sometimes regular baking powder imparts, but you'll have to work quickly! It activates with liquid (not heat), so as soon as everything is mixed, get those muffins in the oven!
Nutrition*
*Nutrition information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Actual values may vary based on ingredients, measurements, and substitutions.
Laura says
The recipe does not say how many eggs!
Jennifer says
Good catch Laura! I can't believe I missed that. It's 2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk. I updated the recipe just now to reflect the changes. Let me know if you make them!
Kimberley says
LOVED this recipe! I made it with Greek yougut, and it was delicious. Lemon flavour is quite subtle.
Jennifer says
Thanks for giving it a try. So glad the yogurt worked out!
Weddy says
I made these awesome muffins. So good!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Douglas Frederick says
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it twice and always have a positive response from others on how great they taste. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Jennifer says
Thanks Douglas-so glad they turned out great!
Stacey says
Absolutely perfect as written, except could use an added punch of lemon. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Jennifer says
Yay!- That's so great to hear.
Anna says
Can I make this Battor in advance and Store in my refrigerator? If so, how many days would I be able to store the batter in my fridge? Thank you I am a cottage baker and I like to bake fresh for my clients. I do pop-ups and in order to do the pop-ups, I have to bake them in advance, but I would not want to bake them more than a day in advance. Thank you in advance for answering.
Jennifer says
Hi Anna,
Yes you can make the batter is advance (2 days max). When ready to bake, you can scoop the batter right from the fridge into your muffin pan. You may need to adjust the baking time slightly by adding a few extra minutes, so keep an eye on them as they cook. Let me know if you give them a try!
Ange Coles says
This is a great recipe and works equally well substituting real butter for peanut butter. I use honey instead of a whole cup of sugar but do add some brown sugar into the batter. I also used frozen blueberries which also worked perfectly. Utterly delicious!
Jennifer says
Hi Ange. Thanks for the kind words. I'm so happy peanut butter worked for you- what an intetesting swap!
Stacy says
Making these now for a shower next week. I typically dont try new recipes for a party but sincerely these seem amazing. Thanks for the recipe
Jennifer says
Thanks Stacy! I would love to hear how they turned out.
Stacy says
Absolutely amazing. I separated the batter in 2 pans. Started at 425 for 7 mins then 350 for 25. They were huge nice domes and amazing taste. Ty go to for bluberry muffins now ty
Jennifer says
Thanks Stacy! I'm so glad you loved them.