Blueberry Cinnamon Muffins

This blueberry cinnamon muffin recipe is a direct result of the Blueberry Muffin Mix Challenge!  In that challenge I purchased 8 different varieties of store bought blueberry muffin mixes to see which one is the “best”.  In particular, the Sticky Fingers blueberry muffin mix is the only one out of the bunch to include cinnamon in the muffin batter.  The adults all loved the idea of a cinnamon/ blueberry combination, but we all felt like that muffin mix was missing something: more blueberries!

During the recipe testing for this recipe, I realized very quickly that I enjoy warm from the oven blueberries. However, I don't enjoy a hot fresh (or frozen) blueberry becayse they createThis two bowl, but no mixer blueberry cinnamon muffin recipe incorporates dried blueberries, with a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon for a cozy breakfast treat. 

Blueberry Cinnamon Muffins Ingredients

• Dried Blueberries.  Dried blueberries are so great for baking.   You never have to worry about making sure the blueberries don’t sink to the bottom of the muffin And the batter isn’t going to turn an insane shade of blue/green.  Since dried blueberries are real blueberries, you don’t have to wonder what goes into making an artificially flavored blueberry.  Don’t get me wrong, we love a good fake blueberry, like the ones found those classic jiffy blueberry muffin mixes.  But don’t worry,  this recipe will work with fresh or frozen blueberries. 
• Ground Cinnamon.  The hero of this recipe.  It doesn’t take a lot of cinnamon, just a half teaspoon to complement the blueberry flavor. 
• All purpose flour 
• Granulated sugar  
• Baking powder 
• Salt 
• Vegetable oil or other neutral oil 
• Whole milk
• Eggs 
• Vanilla extract

Kitchen Equipment

• Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups/ Spoons
• Whisk/ Spatula
• Ice Cream Scoop
• Muffin Tin
• Muffin Liners

How to Make Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins

Preheat the oven and line a muffin tin. To make sure that we get that beautiful domed top we will bake the muffins at a high heat for the first 5 minutes of the baking time before reducing the oven temperature to 375ºF.   Line a 12 well muffin tin with muffin liners and set aside. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium/large bowl stir together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. 

Stir together the wet ingredients. I like to use a large measuring cup to blend together the milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. 

Mix it all together now to create the batter.   Now create a  little well in the flour bowl and pour in the milk/egg mixture.  Stir until the batter comes together.  Then fold in the dried blueberries. When making muffins, you want to make sure you mix the dough just enough.  This is not super helpful, but  you are trying to accomplish two things here: 

• First, make sure all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. 
• Second, whisk enough air into the batter to help the muffins rise.  On the flip side, you don’t want to add too much air to create tough muffins.  

Fill the Muffin Tins and Bake. Some recipes say to fill each muffin two-thirds of the way full.  In order to get a nice dome, I like to fill my muffin tin three quarters of the way full. 

Crumb Topping or No?

During the blueberry muffin challenge the taste testers had strong opinions about a crumb topping. Either you love them or hate them. For this recipe I went with the overwhelming majority opinion and did not add a crumb topping. 

Questions + Answers

1. Why are my blueberry cinnamon muffins turning out flat?
   • There may be two reasons why your muffin tops are turning out flat.  1) Make sure that you fill the muffin tin with enough batter.  I recommend ¾ to almost full for maximum rise.  2) Is your oven hot enough.  The muffins rely on baking powder for the muffins to rise.  And baking powder is activated by high heat.  By baking the muffins at a pretty high heat to start, we’re encouraging the muffins to rise.   For more on how to trouble shoot your oven– read this page. 
2. Can I use fresh or frozen blueberries?
   • Yes.  I’ve made this muffin base with both fresh and frozen blueberries.  If you’re using frozen blueberries, rinse them with cold water before adding to the batter to prevent the muffin batter from turning blue.  Note that the muffin tops may not dome quite as high. 

Star Baker Tip

Only let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.  If the muffins sit in the pan longer the bottoms of the muffins will begin to sweat.  No one wants a soggy muffin!

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