Famous Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins
The original Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins recipe is the best: a sweet, homey, moist blueberry muffin bursting with blueberries. This classic Boston department store recipe is easy to make and stays moist for days. I've adapted it directly from the original, with a few pastry chef tips for perfect results.
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 251kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of one lemon, optional to heighten the berry flavor
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal
- 1/2 cup milk do not use skim
- 2 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or fresh-frozen (do not thaw)
- 2 tablespoons sugar, for dusting the tops extra points for using Demerara sugar, which has large, crunchy crystals
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-muffin tin with cupcake liners. Lightly grease the top of the muffin pan so the tops don't stick.
- Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and optional lemon zest (if using). Cream the batter on medium-high again until very light and fluffy, scraping the bowl to ensure that everything is fully incorporated. PRO TIP: The optional lemon zest is the one not-original ingredient, but it's a good pastry chef pro move. Lemon zest heightens the flavor of the berries without adding lemon flavoring.
- Alternate the dry ingredients and milk. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt, alternating with the milk (dry, milk, dry). Mix just until incorporated. Do not over-mix.PRO TIP: I have never had this issue because the batter is nice and thick, but if you want to make sure that the blueberries do not sink when baking, toss them in a small bowl with a bit of the flour from the recipe.
- Add the blueberries. Fork mash 1/2 cup of the blueberries if you're sticking to the original recipe, or just skip this step like I do. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula until evenly distributed. PRO TIP: Why mash the blueberries? Mashing some of the blueberries will give the batter a swirl of purple hue. Some people like that, some don't.
- Portion the batter into muffin cups. Use a spoon or large cookie scoop to portion the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar on the top of each muffin. You don't have to use all that sugar if you don't want, but it gives you the crust.PRO TIP: If you have any extra blueberries, dot the top of the muffins with two or three blueberries each before baking, pressing them into the batter just a bit. This will ensure that each muffin top looks beautifully bursting with berries.
- Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops feel springy and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes in the muffin tin before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve with soft butter, preferably warm. PRO TIP: I like to check the muffins at 25 minutes, and go from there. Some ovens run hot.
Notes
Here are a few quick tips and notes for baking these muffins.
Storage
These muffins will keep fresh, covered at room temperature, for two days.How to Freeze These Blueberry Muffins
Freeze your muffins in advance! It's a great trick. (Not everyone wants to roll out of bed and start baking, bleary-eyed, before the coffee is even made.)- Make the muffin batter.
- Portion the batter into muffin cups.
- Freeze the whole muffin pan before storing each frozen muffin in a large freezer bag.
- You can pop how ever many raw, frozen muffins you want to bake back into a muffin tin, then into the oven whenever you want. They will just take a few extra minutes to bake from frozen.
How to keep blueberries from sinking to the bottom of blueberry muffins
Toss the blueberries with a small amount of the flour mixture before folding them into the blueberry muffin batter. Use part of the flour measurement in the recipe, not additional flour. The flour forms a grippy coating on the blueberries, which prevents sinking. That said, this is a fairly thick batter, so I have never had a problem with blueberries sinking in these blueberry muffins when you stir the berries in plain to the large mixing bowl with the rest of the batter.Nutrition
Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 309IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
