Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

My mom’s very favorite treat is a blueberry muffin.  A big, bakery-style one, with a crispy top and filled with sweet blueberries.
The problem is, bakery muffins never measure up to what they could be. At their ideal, they’d be moist, sweet, and exploding with blueberries. In reality, they are usually stale from a long stint behind glass cases and more often than not, involve a serious dearth of blueberries. In my opinion (in fact, maybe it is less of an opinion and more of a proclamation, determined in the midst of a bad muffin experience) if you don’t get a blueberry in every bite, it isn’t a blueberry muffin. It is a disappointment!
So, because these things tend be better when you make them at home, and because I love my mama, I set about finding finding the perfect blueberry muffin recipe. Bring on the blueberries! Bring on the goodness!
My first try was a disaster- the muffins never baked through, juice leaked everywhere, and the streusel topping burnt. I didn’t even bother tinkering with the recipe- I moved on to others, and focused a bit more on the chemistry behind a great muffin. What makes a muffin soft? What makes it rise? How many blueberries are acceptable to stuff into the batter? (Answer: as many as possible.)
Finally, I hit upon the perfect recipe. I tweaked it to perfection and these muffins, well, they were the muffins I’d always wanted. Full of blueberries- juicy, gently squishing- and with a texture that is moist, dense, and not too crumbly, my mom loved them, and they’ve officially become our new go-to recipe.
Make these for any mom, grandmother, or any one who needs a little pampering, yourself included. And don’t forget to serve these with all your love and gratitude- moms are the best and they deserve all the thanks!
Especially my mom. She is the best of the best. So here Mom, have a muffin. I love you. Thank you for everything.

Yield: 12 small muffins, or 8 large

Highly adapted from this recipe

Why I love this recipe: using oil, as opposed to butter, prevents the development of gluten in the flour and makes these muffins soft and moist. Buttermilk adds tender crumb and flavor, and Greek yogurt makes these hefty without having to add too much flour. Fresh blueberries are best here- they become jammy and soft, and reserving some blueberries to press into the top before baking ensures that you get blueberry in every bite.

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1/4 turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. Combine the sugar, egg, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla in a bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Remove and reserve one tablespoon of the flour. Add the rest of the flour, baking powder and salt, stirring them into the wet ingredients until combined and not lumpy, but don’t overmix.
4. Stir in the Greek yogurt until well distributed. Lightly toss 1 1/4 cups of the blueberries with the reserved tablespoon of flour. Fold the floured blueberries into the batter.
5. Evenly distribute the batter in the muffin liners, filling them no more than 2/3 of the way full.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of berries on top and press them in lightly. Sprinkle the tops with the 1/4 cup turbinado sugar.
7. Bake muffins for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *If baking larger muffins, decrease temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes.