These are moist muffins that will rise and bake to a golden brown. Full of juicy blackberries, they have a soft and tender crumb and are out of the oven in 45 minutes. You can use fresh or frozen berries and make them ahead since they freeze very well.
This almost counts as a basic berry muffin recipe, where you can change the type of fruit and zest you use and they will always taste amazing.
But blackberries are worth it on their own, with that acid flavor and short season that makes us hurry up and bake something. For me, it's usually the orange blackberry muffin loaf or the gorgeous lemon blackberry bread, both huge hits in this house and wherever I take them.
Now I'm adding these homemade blackberry muffins to my regular baking schedule.
About this recipe
- Easy to make: the batter comes together in no time so you can whip them up at a moment's notice. Forty five minutes later they're out of the oven!
- Make ahead: they keep well for a day at room temperature, covered, and freeze wonderfully. In both cases, I suggest warming them in a medium oven (350°F/180°C) before eating. Great if you like something sweet for breakfast.
- Adaptable: fresh berries are my first choice when blackberry season hits, but these can be made with frozen ones straight from the freezer with great results. You can use lemon or orange zest besides the vanilla extract, and maybe a touch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg. They're easily adapted to your palate.
Ingredients
Except for the berries, this recipe uses simple ingredients that you probably have at home already.
- Blackberries: I always choose fresh blackberries when available, but frozen blackberries (unthawed) also work. Wild blackberries when in season are also wonderful.
- Citrus zest: we use lemon zest when the berries are sweeter and orange zest when they are acid because it's mellower. Both work very well. A Microplane zester/grater is a great tool for this.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar is used for this recipe, but you can also use light brown sugar or a mix of both.
- Milk: whole milk is our choice for the richness it adds, but reduced-fat milk and even almond milk can be used.
- Unsalted butter.
- Vegetable oil: I generally use sunflower oil which is neutral, but coconut oil and canola work well.
- Eggs: large, fresh.
- Flour: this recipe works with both all-purpose flour and cake flour.
- Baking powder: make sure it's not expired. It's used as a leavening, to make the raspberry muffins rise as they should during baking.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Vanilla - I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
Easy steps
This is an adapted old-fashioned muffin recipe made by mixing the liquid ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl and then combining the two. So easy!
You only need a whisk and spatula to fold the blackberries at the end.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. There's no need to beat.
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar (the dry ingredients) in a separate bowl and stir together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones all at once.
- Add the flavorings and fold in the berries.
Baking berry muffins
- Muffin tin: I like to use paper liners (paper cups or muffin liners) because it's easier to clean afterward, they keep the muffins moist, and are great if you want to transport them. But you can simply butter or use baking spray for the muffin pan.
- Filling the pan: make sure you distribute blackberries in all of the individual muffin tins. I like to use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter as evenly as possible, but you can also spoon batter into the paper liners. Don't go over ¾ of their capacity.
- When are the muffins done? Take the baking time given in the recipe as your guide and check five minutes earlier and see if the tester or toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different so it might take a few minutes more or less than specified.
- Crunchier topping: you can add a sprinkling of sugar (half a teaspoon) to the muffin tops before baking.
Top tips
- Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Light mixing: it's important that you don't overmix this muffin batter.
- Extra citrus flavor: use a teaspoon or two of lemon juice and add it to the batter together with the zest.
- Variations: you can add a ground spice to the batter such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom. You can also use mixed berries instead of just blackberries.
Frequently asked questions
Have the ingredients and oven at the right temperatures specified in the recipe. Don't over mix the batter and take them out as soon as a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
They sink when the batter doesn't hold them because the berries weigh more and naturally sink due to gravity. It depends on the recipe.
The best way of achieving this is using baking powder (and no baking soda). And a recipe that has the correct flour to liquid ratio like this one.
Too much mixing or beating the batter is, in my experience, the main culprit. The ingredients have to be lightly mixed just until integrated. Use a spatula or whisk for best results, as it's hard to over mix a muffin batter is folding it by hand.
Using oil or a mix of oil and butter, not overmixing the batter, not overbaking the muffins. Using oil adds richness and moisture. Mixing the dry and wet ingredients *just* until moistened as well as not over baking them will ensure a fluffy result.
Related recipes you might like:
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Easy Blackberry Muffins
These are moist muffins that will rise and bake to a golden brown. Full of juicy blackberries, they have a soft and tender crumb and are out of the oven in 45 minutes. You can use fresh or frozen berries and make them ahead since they freeze very well.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 regular muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose or cake flour
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup milk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (I use sunflower)
- 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
- Line 12 regular muffin tins with paper liners or butter/spray the pans. The yield can vary depending on the size of the berries.
- In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients: sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the sugar and mix to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and lukewarm melted butter. Do not beat but mix well until no streaks of egg whites remain.
- Add the citrus zest.
- Add the mixed wet ingredients at once to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Mix until you barely have streaks of flour, but do not overmix. It will be lumpy and not completely mixed and that is fine.
- Add the blackberries and mix lightly. Be careful not to mash them. I do it with a rubber spatula.
- Divide evenly among the muffin cups or muffin liners.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is cracked, golden brown, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake.
- Let cool on a wire rack and eat warm or let cool down completely.
- They are best eaten the day they are made, but you can keep them for a day at room temperature covered or wrapped.
- Store leftovers, covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a month.
Notes
Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Light mixing: it's important that you don't overmix this muffin batter.
Muffin tin: I like to use paper liners (paper cups or muffin liners) because it's easier to clean afterward, they keep the muffins moist, and are great if you want to transport them. But you can simply butter or use baking spray for the muffin pan.
Filling the pan: make sure you distribute blackberries in all of the muffin tins. I like to use an ice cream scoop to fill them with the same amount of batter. Don't go over ¾ of their capacity.
When are the muffins done? Take the baking time given in the recipe as your guide and check five minutes earlier and see if the tester or toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different so it might take a few minutes more or less than specified.
Extra lemon flavor: use a teaspoon or two of lemon juice and add it to the batter together with the zest.
Variations: you can add a ground spice to the batter such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom. You can also use mixed berries instead of just blackberries.
Crunchier topping: you can add a sprinkling of sugar (half a teaspoon) to each muffin top before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12
- Calories: 248
- Sugar: 18.4 g
- Sodium: 117.6 mg
- Fat: 9.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.7 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 41.5 mg
Keywords: blackberry muffins
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