Mixed Berry Muffins
intro
Soft, golden-crusted muffins bursting with juicy fresh summer berries, with a tender moist crumb ideal for quick snacks or light portable treats.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and muffin tin
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup with nonstick spray or softened butter to prevent sticking during baking.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine 240g all-purpose flour, 100g granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds until all ingredients are evenly distributed, with no visible clumps of baking powder remaining.
Combine wet ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, lightly beat the room-temperature egg, then stir in 180ml whole milk, 57g cooled melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix for 20 seconds until smooth, taking care not to overbeat the egg which can create tough muffins.
Fold batter and berries
Pour the entire wet ingredient mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to fold gently for only 10-12 strokes, until just combined; the batter will be lumpy, and a few streaks of flour are normal. Add 170g (1 1/8 cups) of the mixed berries, folding 2-3 more times to distribute, taking care not to smash the berries which will turn the batter purple. Toss the remaining 55g (3/8 cup) of berries with a tiny pinch of flour to coat, set aside for topping.
Portion batter into tins
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full (approximately 3 tablespoons of batter per cup). Top each portion with 2-3 of the reserved flour-coated berries, then sprinkle a pinch of coarse turbinado sugar over the top of each muffin for a crunchy, golden crust.
Bake and cool muffins
Place the tin in the preheated 200°C (400°F) oven and bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) without opening the oven door, and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached, not wet batter. Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 more minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Coating berries reserved for topping in a light dusting of flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups during baking, ensuring even berry distribution in every bite.
3.If using frozen mixed berries, do not thaw them before folding into the batter; add them straight from the freezer to prevent excess juice from bleeding and turning the batter an unappetizing gray-purple color.
OMG these muffins are a GAME CHANGER for my weekday school morning rush! I swapped half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat, tossed in extra blueberries and raspberries from my farmers market haul, and my three kids devoured them before I even got a second one. So fluffy, not too sweet, perfect for grabbing on the way to the bus stop. 10/10 will be making these every Sunday for meal prep!
Brought these to my office potluck yesterday and they were gone in 10 minutes flat! Multiple coworkers asked for the recipe, I even had someone offer to pay me to make a batch for their weekend brunch. The tip to not overmix the batter really works — no dense gummy muffins here! I used a frozen mixed berry blend and didn’t even thaw them first, no soggy bottoms at all. SO good.
Made these for my weekend backpacking trip last week, wrapped them individually in parchment, and they held up perfect for 3 days in my pack. Not too crumbly, great burst of berry flavor, gave me the perfect little sugar boost on those steep uphill climbs. Will be adding these to my regular trail snack rotation.
Wait, is it normal for the batter to be really lumpy? I was worried I messed up because I’ve always mixed muffin batter until it’s smooth before, but I followed the instruction to stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients disappeared and oh my god these are the fluffiest muffins I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve been baking for all of 2 months and these turned out bakery level? Wild.
I thought these were good, but I wish they were a little sweeter? I followed the recipe exactly but the berry tartness kind of overpowered the batter for my taste. Next time I’ll probably add an extra 2 tbsp of sugar and maybe a little vanilla glaze on top. Still really fluffy and easy to make though!
Made these with my 7 year old niece this weekend, she had a blast dumping the berries in and stirring (we definitely had a few berry casualties on the counter, worth it). We added a handful of white chocolate chips per her request and it was chef’s kiss. Easy enough for a kid to help with, zero fancy ingredients, will make again.
Quick question — how well do these freeze? I want to make a double batch to stock my freezer for quick breakfasts, do I need to wrap them individually or can I just toss them in a freezer bag?
Made these gluten free by swapping in a 1:1 GF baking flour blend, added a tiny pinch of xanthan gum, and they came out just as fluffy as the regular version! I was so worried GF muffins would be gritty or dense but these were perfect, even my non-GF roommate stole two off the cooling rack before I could pack them for work. Total win!
Made these for my friend’s bridal brunch last weekend, served them with mimosas and a little whipped honey butter on the side, and everyone was raving. I love that the recipe is so easy — I didn’t have to run to the store for any fancy ingredients, I already had everything in my pantry and fridge. 10/10, adding to my permanent brunch rotation!