Julie Clark
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Brown Sugar Blueberry Muffins
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From scratch brown sugar blueberry muffins kept extra moist with brown sugar. Perfectly light and fluffy with a deep, sweet flavor, they rival any bakery muffin.
As the name indicates, brown sugar takes center stage in this blueberry muffin recipe. What does brown sugar do in muffins? It keeps them ultra moist. Brown sugar adds more moisture than white sugar, and it adds a depth of flavor that will guarantee true love at first bite.
Our other blueberry muffin recipe has a streusel topping, as does our blueberry bread recipe. Although I love a crumb topping on top of blueberry muffins, we kept this recipe simple with coarse sugar sprinkled over the unbaked muffins.
About this brown sugar blueberry muffin recipe:
If there’s one thing that catches my eye when I pass by a bakery, it’s tall, blueberry muffins with sugar crystals dotting the top. Bakery-style muffins have such character, but I’ll be honest.
More than once I’ve been so disappointed with a muffin that looked picture perfect, the flavor didn’t match. I’m not wasting time or calories on a dry, crumbly muffin. It has to be moist. And if you feel the same way as me, this is the muffin recipe for you!
Reader Jay says, “These are great! I baked for my mother who requested that I find a recipe which included brown sugar. These were a hit! This is my 4th time making them. Definitely a keeper.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A recipe for your family’s recipe book? You bet.
And if those pretty little fresh blueberries are what brought you over, definitely visit this blueberry blackberry pie, blueberry oat bars, refrigerator jam and drizzled blueberry coconut bars. You’ll fall head over heels!
Enjoy! -Julie
Key Ingredients
- Frozen berries. I buy loads of blueberries when they are on sale and pop them into the freezer. Since the blueberries are frozen, I toss them with a tablespoon or two of flour. This keeps the muffins from getting soggy and helps the blueberries not to sink to the bottom.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds a sweet depth of flavor to the muffins.
- Sour cream. Sour cream adds another level of richness and moisture to this recipe. Can you substitute reduced fat sour cream? Yes. Can you substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream? Yes! It works well and adds a little protein to the muffins.
- Coarse sugar. Use turbinado sugar or coarse sugar crystals from the baking aisle of your grocery store. Generously sprinkle those sugar crystals on top of each muffin before baking. It gives them a bit of a sugary crunch on top. You’ll love it. It gives a similar topping as our red white and blueberry cake!
Brown Sugar Blueberry Muffins
From scratch brown sugar blueberry muffins kept extra moist with brown sugar. Perfectly light and fluffy with a deep, sweet flavor.
Servings 12
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ tablespoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In another large bowl, mix together the sugars, oil and butter. Stir to mix well. Mix in the egg, then add in the sour cream and mix until combined. 1 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon salted butter, 1 large egg, ¾ cup sour cream
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, folding together gently just until mixed. Do not overmix.
- In a small bowl, toss the frozen blueberries with the two tablespoons of flour until the blueberries are coated. Add the blueberries to the muffin batter, discarding the extra flour. Gently fold the blueberries into the muffin batter. 1 ½ cups frozen wild blueberries, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, dividing the batter between 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top of each muffin. ¼ cup turbinado sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven (425ºF) for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350ºF and bake for an additional 14-16 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The muffins are excellent with a ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon added into the batter, or with the sugar topping.
- Storage: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The muffins also freeze well. Store them in a plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to two months.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 131mg | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1.1mg
How to Make Brown Sugar Muffins: Step by Step
- Dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Wet ingredients. In another large bowl, mix together the sugars, oil and butter. Stir to mix well. Mix in the egg, then add in the sour cream and mix until combined.
- Mix the two. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, folding together gently just until mixed. Do not overmix.
- Fold in blueberries. In a small bowl, toss the frozen blueberries with the two tablespoons of flour until the blueberries are coated. Add the blueberries to the muffin batter, discarding the extra flour. Gently fold the blueberries into the muffin batter.
- Bake the muffins. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, dividing the batter between 12 muffin liners. Sprinkle the coarse sugar on top of each muffin. Bake in the preheated oven (425ºF) for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350ºF and bake for an additional 14-16 minutes. Then cool the muffins.
Can I make it ahead like day before the event?
Thanks for this awesome recipe ,i just made it a few hours ago and we can not stop eating it!!
These are great! I baked for my mother who requested that I find a recipe which included brown sugar. These were a hit! This is my 4th time making them. Definitely a keeper.
I have made this recipe 3 times by now. It never fails and is super good! One thing I do to cut down on time is I use a few tablespoons of the prepared flour mixture to toss the blueberries in before I chuck them into the batter. It works really well! I don’t have turbinado sugar, but regular sugar works incredibly well. My favorite part of this muffin recipe is, when my oven isn’t acting up, the muffin tops are like a cookie and the bottom part is like a cupcake. Taste of Lizzy T has once again won… Read more »
Can you use a loaf pan instead of a muffin pan and bake at 350 for 45-55 mins?
I am right with you with being attracted to those tall muffins at the bakeries! And I absolutely LOVE turbinado sugar!! 😀 Thank you so much for sharing!
Julie, I completely agree – If I’m going to spend precious calories on a muffin, it better be moist and delicious 😉 These ones look like perfection, and I’m loving that brown sugar topping!
these muffins are picture perfect, and I cannot wait to try them!
That is exactly how I want my muffin, moist! This looks absolutely yummy. Bookmarking this for later.