Old-Fashioned Blueberry Muffins (1981)
By Yankee Magazine|Aug 23 2010|
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Muffins (1981)
Photo Credit: Robbins, HeathFor many years Yankee ran a column called “Great New England Cooks”– similar to our current “Best Cook in Town.” The idea was to celebrate talented home chefs with a passion for New England cooking. In August 1981 we featured Betsy Balsley of Wellesley, Massachusetts. The story focused on her affection for local seafood, but it was this simple old-fashioned blueberry-muffin recipe that caught our eye.
Take note — this recipe really is “old-fashioned,” but at our last tasting there were some Yankee staffers that liked it’s dense texture and barely sweet taste (except for the plentiful berries). If you’re looking for a large, fluffy, sweet muffin like the kind you find in today’s bakeries and supermarkets this probably isn’t the muffin for you. Instead, try Best Blueberry Muffins — the updated version of this old-fashioned classic.
Yield
12 muffins
Total Time
30 minutesIngredients
1-3/4 cups sifted flour
4 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus extra for tops (see Note)
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh wild blueberries
Butter or nonstick vegetable oil spray
Instructions
Heat oven to 400°. In a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk, and oil, and pour into well. Stir quickly, just to moisten; don’t overmix. Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and stir gently into batter. Fill greased muffin-tin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Notes
These muffins are barely sweet. If you prefer a sweeter muffin we suggest increasing the amount of sugar in the batter up to at least 1/4 cup rather than the 2 tablespoons listed.
Very disappointed in how the recipe came out. I wanted big muffins so instead of making 12 I made nine and they did not even rise they came out like hockey pucks
The flavor was there just what I wanted not too sweet but for some reason they didn’t rise, Baking powder was fresh so that’s not the problem. I can’t imagine what they would look like if I made 12.
I loved these muffins because they are not sweet, some may find this not to their liking. I suppose I would describe them as a scone, but a bit sweeter and better texture. I’ve made these twice. Once with fresh blueberries and this time with freshly frozen blueberries, thawed so there was juice which I also dumped in there. So, they are going to be BLUE, blueberries. How can this be bad? Anyway, reminds me of the old fashion recipes and I found this because I didn’t have any vanilla. I was tempted to add some (not that I purchased a bottle), but I didn’t. Thanks for recipe. BTW, my grandmother was from New England as am I, so liked this.
So, I made these the 2nd time. The blueberry juice which occurred naturally was not a good idea. In fact, they were awful! So, I got up and made them according to the directions and they were great. Today, I’m making them again and I added a touch of vanilla. I don’t know why I just can’t stop trying to perfect perfection.
These are the best blueberry muffins ever! They are a little small, but that means more crust per bite. I have been searching for a recipe that didn’t taste like cake and these do not disappoint. The texture is exactly what I want in a muffin. I used frozen blueberries and didn’t thaw them before adding. I thought they might make everything so cold they’d need more baking but they only took 20 minutes in the toaster oven and were a gorgeous brown color.
Thank you so much for this recipe. My quest is over.
Amazing muffins! Just made these tonight, with freshly picked wild Newfoundland blueberries – I can’t tell you how lovely these look! They are the perfect size and not overly sweet – so the flavour of the berries is the main attraction! Super quick to whip up and pop into the oven too! Absolutely perfect! I think this “old fashioned blueberry muffin recipe” should really be the “best blueberry muffin recipe”! 🙂
I used half Spelt flour and some added bran (thinking ‘healthy breakfast’ here!). All good. Thawed frozen blueberries, juice drained. They sank a bit, but not all of them. Very pleased. Crunchy sugary top important. Eat warm with butter? I did make fewer larger ones and they were fine, nice texture. Would use fresh berries but live in Old England!