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Blackberry muffins with a binder step — Tender breakfast muffins that don’t sink Pinterest recipe pin

Reliable Blackberry Muffins

Tender, slightly domed blackberry muffins with a simple binder step to keep berries suspended—works with fresh or frozen fruit for breakfast or brunch.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar, rested 5 minutes
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil vegetable or canola or melted unsalted butter, cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 1 1/4 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
  • Raw sugar for sprinkling on top optional

Equipment

  • 1 12-cup muffin pan
  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 Measuring cups and spoons
  • 1 Wire cooling rack

Method
 

Prepare
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F and position a rack in the center; line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray lightly with nonstick spray.
Dry ingredients
  1. In a large bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
Wet ingredients
  1. In a medium bowl whisk 1 cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup oil (or melted butter), and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.
Combine and rest
  1. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir with a rubber spatula just until mostly combined; the batter should be slightly thick. Let the batter rest 5 minutes to hydrate the flour.
Prepare berries and fold
  1. If using fresh blackberries, toss 1 cup of them gently with 1 tablespoon flour to help suspend them; if using frozen, keep them frozen. Fold 1 to 1 1/4 cups blackberries into the batter gently just until distributed.
Portion and bake
  1. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full; top with a few reserved berries and sprinkle raw sugar if desired. Bake at 400°F for 18–22 minutes for fresh berries or 20–24 minutes for frozen until edges are golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool
  1. Remove muffins from oven and let cool in the pan 5–10 minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling to prevent soggy bottoms.

Notes

If using frozen blackberries, add 2–4 minutes to the bake time and do not toss with flour. For quick buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to milk and rest 5 minutes. Avoid overmixing the batter to prevent a dense crumb; a brief 5-minute rest helps hydration and lift.