Homemade Blueberry Muffins

These Homemade Blueberry Muffins are practically perfect. Tender on the inside but more hearty than cake, they're loaded with fresh blueberries for a burst of tart sweetness. You'll want to have these in your kitchen every day.

I'm always a little bit surprised by how impressed some people seem when I bake something as simple as a blueberry muffin. We always seem to forget that anything can seem complicated if you've never done it before. But once you've practiced something for a while, it becomes so easy, you barely have to concentrate at all.

I think that's what makes teaching or even parenting so difficult. You're the teacher because you're supposed to be somewhat of an expert in a subject, but you have to stay connect to that part of you that was a complete novice in order to truly be effective. It's really just the fear of the unknown that makes people reluctant to learn something new. If you can meet them where they are and coax them along for the ride, the fear can be replaced with excitement.

Do muffins seems difficult to you? Don't panic.

If you think making muffins is difficult, let me reassure you, that's just your fear talking. Muffins are incredibly simple to make. I use the same base recipe for a countless variety of muffins, and they always come out great.

And that's the truly beautiful thing about cooking and baking. Once you get confident in a few basic and simple techniques, so many possibilities open up for you. And if you mess up sometimes, so what? It's honestly no that big of a deal. Unless you forget to set a timer and completely incinerate your food, it's probably going to taste fine even if it doesn't look beautiful. I'll never stop saying ugly food is often extremely delicious.

So I guess my first cooking lesson is never forget to set a timer. Other than that, you can make nearly anything work. But honestly, even with practice, you start to get an instinct for when things are about to be done. Follow your nose and your intuition. But also, still set a timer just in case.

How to make Homemade Blueberry Muffins

So, I promised that these Homemade Blueberry Muffins would be easy, and I never lie. You don't even need an electric mixer. Just a couple of bowls, some measuring cups and spoons, a whisk and a rubber spatula. Oh, and a muffin pan. I don't even use papers, I just spray some non-stick baking spray into each cup to make sure they'll release easily. If you're nervous about sticking, you can use muffins papers for extra insurance.

The first thing you'll do is add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to one bowl and give it a bit of a whisk to mix everything together. Then in your other bowl you'll add sugar, oil, one whole egg and one egg yolk, and some plain yogurt and whisk that all together until you have a smooth mixture.

If that egg yolk I mentioned has you all freaked out, don't panic. The easiest way to separate eggs is just to crack the egg into your hand and let the whites fall away between your fingers. It's messy but effective.

Easy so far, right?

The magic happens when you pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You actually want to mix this as little as possible, so use your rubber spatula to fold everything together gently. The whole thing should come together in about 20 seconds. That's your basic muffin method. You can add anything you like to that. All the measurements are in the recipe card below.

Okay, I can hear David and Moira Rose in my head right now. By folding, I just mean that you use your rubber spatula to bring the dry ingredients up from the bottom and use a folding motion to bring them up to the top to incorporate them into the wet ingredients. Honestly, if you just stir it, you'll get there eventually.

One more pro tip for you. To keep your blueberries from sinking to the bottom, take about a tablespoon from your dry ingredient mixture (before you add the wet ingredients) and sprinkle it over your berries. Give that a little stir to coat the berries in the flour. This will help them stay in place while baking.

Everything that is easy for you now used to be difficult at some point. Then you practiced. Now it's as simple as Homemade Blueberry Muffins. Isn't that awesome?

Print

This recipe is sourced from I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown.

Looking for more muffin awesomeness? How about some Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins or Orange Chocolate Chunk Muffins?