Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

From Mrs. Clay’s Cozy Kitchen

If you’re craving soft, tender, bakery-quality blueberry muffins bursting with juicy berries 🫐 and topped with a buttery, sweet crumb topping 🍯, this recipe is for you!

Made with frozen blueberries, lemon zest 🍋, and sour cream for extra moisture, plus a clever batter chilling step and a high-then-low oven temperature method, these muffins come out tall, domed, and perfectly tender every single time. 💙🧁

🌸 Why Cake Flour?

Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which means less gluten development — aka softer, more tender muffins! ✨

💡 Pro tip: The sour cream 🥣 adds richness and moisture, giving you that perfectly soft crumb you expect from a bakery muffin.

🧁 Ingredients

 Muffins:

• 2 cups (240g) cake flour*

• 1/2 tsp salt 🧂

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened 🧈

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

• Zest of 1 lemon 🍋

• 2 large eggs 🥚

• 1/3 cup (80g) full-fat sour cream

• 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk 🥛

• 1 tsp vanilla extract 🌼

• 2 cups frozen blueberries (do not thaw) 🫐

• 1 tbsp cake flour (for tossing blueberries)

DIY Cake Flour Substitute: Measure 1 cup all-purpose flour, remove 2 tbsp, replace with 2 tbsp cornstarch. Sift well. ✅

🍯 Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup (40g) all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup (55g) cold unsalted butter, cubed ❄️🧈

• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 🌿

👩🍳 Instructions

1️⃣ Prepare the Crumb Topping

Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl 🥣.
Cut in the cold butter using a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
Chill in the fridge until ready. ❄️

2️⃣ Make the Muffin Batter

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). 💛

3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.

4. Stir in sour cream, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

5. Add dry ingredients in two parts, mixing gently until just combined — don’t overmix! 🚫

3️⃣ Add the Blueberries

Toss frozen blueberries with 1 tbsp cake flour to prevent sinking and color bleeding. 🫐
Gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. 🍋

4️⃣ Chill the Batter

Cover and refrigerate the batter for 30–60 minutes to thicken it — this helps create those tall, bakery-style muffins! ⏱️❄️

5️⃣ Assemble & Bake

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin. 🧁

2. Divide the chilled batter evenly (fill almost to the top).

3. Top each muffin generously with crumb topping. 🍯

4. Bake at 425°F for 5–8 minutes, then (without opening the oven door!) reduce to 350°F (175°C).

5. Continue baking 17–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. 🌬️

💡 Pro Tips

⭐ Keep blueberries frozen until just before folding them in.
⭐ Chill the batter for tall, bakery-style domes.
⭐ Cake flour = tender crumb. Sour cream = extra moisture.
⭐ The initial high heat gives you that perfect, golden dome top. 😍

💙 Enjoy!

Enjoy these moist, tender, and fluffy blueberry muffins with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping — perfect for breakfast ☕, snacks 🍽️, or dessert! 🍰

If you try this recipe, please share your photos or tag me on social media 📸 — I’d love to see your delicious creations!