Mini Blueberry Muffin Perfection
11 April, 2020
Have you ever had the desire to make the amazing blueberry muffins that you can buy at a bakery or coffee shop? This recipe review is for you then! My sister discovered this recipe a couple of years ago, because we had one of the giant packages of blueberries from Costco in the fridge that was about to go bad (why we had blueberries in the fridge I don’t know……….. neither of us actually eat them straight). Now I keep a package of blueberries in the fridge, just in case I get the urge to make some of these yummy morsels. The only other ingredient you may not have in your fridge all the time is the buttermilk. Harris Teeter sells a little jug of it that lasts a long time so you can always have it on hand when you need it. It’s also good to have around to make some homemade ranch dressing. This recipe originates from America’s Test Kitchen, which is a great collection of recipes, but “A new England Girl” does a great job separating out the directions.
Here’s the link
http://jadorethesestores.blogspot.com/2009/05/indulgent-breakfast-best-blueberry.html?m=1
Converting these muffins to mini size
Did you ever eat those packages of mini blueberry or chocolate chip muffins from Little Debbie as a kid? I myself was addicted to them. I think this is what inspired me to adapt this recipe to mini size. One batch will make about 32-36 mini muffins. I like to bring baked goods into work or a group setting, and some people may not want to eat a huge muffin, so why not give them a choice? Worst case, you have to eat two muffins if you want more! I also find that this methods spreads out the crunchy outer surface of the muffin, so you get more crunch texture per bite than you would with the larger muffins.
First start with making the blueberry topping, and then mix the batter together with the directions from the link above. I don’t usually end up using my kitchen aid stand up mixer for this, because it’s a pretty simple process. I have tried other fruits with this recipe as well, raspberries do a pretty nice job incorporating into the batter Or you can get adventurous and do blueberries inside of the muffins and a raspberry topping. Don’t forget to sift the flour in order to make a more stable batter.
I also add an extra cup of blueberries to the batter, to make a total of 2 cups for the batter and 1 for the blueberry topping, so I can ensure that every mini muffin has a couple of berry morsels hidden inside.
Filling the Cupcake Pan
Usually, I prefer to use to paper baking cups like we did in our Funfetti Cupcake post, but for these its better to use a mini muffin pan. You can get a 24 count muffin pan from most kitchen stores or Amazon. I use a pan, because the hot metal helps the muffins get their crispy outside texture, and it is easier to get the puff over top. Make sure you spray the pan before you add the batter. My preference of spray is the Bakers Joy flour spray, which is a combination of oil and flour (this makes it super easy to flop the muffins onto the cooling rack, they fall right out!). How much batter to you put in each cup? If your going to be doing a lot of baking, I would invest in a large cookie scoop. This will be your most versatile size for multiple purposes. For these muffins, you’ll need one large scoop of batter per mini cup.
The Topping
I usually zest my lemon into a small prep bowl, and then add the sugar. I sometimes cut the sugar in the recipe to a 1/4 cup, so I get a better lemon to sugar ratio (Don’t worry…….. There will be enough sugar). I add about 1/4 TSP of the blueberry topping to the muffins and swirl it with a toothpick. I then sprinkle the sugar topping with a spoon over the whole pan of muffins. Don’t be skimpy!
Baking Time Adjustment
I still bake these at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, but I adjust the timing from 17-19 minutes to 14-16 minutes. The mini muffins definitely bake faster then the larger ones. Once these babies are done (I always stick a clean toothpick in one of the muffins to check that no liquid batter is in the center), let them cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before you flip them on to a cooling rack. Enjoy!