Blueberry Mini-Muffins

My fella likes blueberries, so when they were on sale recently, I revisited this much-beloved blueberry muffin recipe.  Muffins are usually not my go-to breakfast food.  Scones are just so . . . scones.   And then there are my mother’s biscuits.  And if we’re going to sit down for breakfast (wait, that happens?), pancakes or cinnamon rolls sounds best.

But blueberry muffins are something special.  And these blueberry muffins are moist and soft and put all those store-bought imitations to shame (which, honestly, not all homemade muffins do).

Also, mini-muffins bake so quickly, and they make such a great little snack – although the downside is that there is more messy blueberry bubbling with mini-muffins.   However, I can certainly provide a first-hand account of how tasty these muffins are when baked at the regular size, too.

Blueberry Muffins

Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen

• 1 cup blueberries, washed if using fresh (no need to defrost if using frozen blueberries)
• 5 TBSP unsalted butter, softened (room temperature! don’t skimp on softening!)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup sour cream, preferably not the light or reduced fat kind
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (the lesser amount in our house, unless I’m baking them for myself)
• 1 tsp lemon juice / 1 squirt of a lemon (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 rounded tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 375.  Grease your mini-muffin tin.

In the small or medium bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Toss in the egg and beat well.  Add the sour cream and lemon zest and mix until blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a fork, which is my favorite lazy lady method of sifting.  Add the dry ingredients in two batches to the wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition.  Dough will be thick. Mix in the blueberries gently, using a spoon or fork rather than the electric mixer.

Fill each cup of your mini-muffin tin 2/3 of the way.  (As an aside, some commenters on Deb’s recipe claim they got 36 muffins when they made minis, which sounds about right – I made 24 at once and reserved some of the dough in the fridge for another day).

Bake for 10 – 18 minutes – it really depends on the mood of your oven (okay, it depends on the exact temperature, but you know).  The muffins should be lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted into one of the middle muffins should come out clean.

Cool on a rack and eat your fill once they’re cool enough to not burn your fingers.  Once they are completely cooled, store any leftovers in a paper bag.

For the larger version, fill the cups of a normal-sized muffin tin 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.