Are you a sucker for mini muffins? I am. These mini blueberry muffins are quick and easy 2-bite treats that are great for breakfast, brunch or afternoon snacking. This recipe makes lightly sweet lemon blueberry muffins with a pleasing corn flavor and moist texture. Fresh fruit abounds in these blueberry corn muffins.
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These blueberry corn muffins are delicious hot from the oven or even the next day as a quick snack. They can be made ahead and frozen for later, too.
Kids love mini blueberry muffins for breakfast or as a treat in their lunch box and adults can’t help but snatch one or two from the bread basket at our weekend buffet brunch.
For this recipe, you’ll need a mini muffin tin (this is the one I used {affiliate links}) to make mini blueberry muffins, or use a regular sized tin for larger ones. Another helpful tool is a cookie scoop to help portion out the muffin batter evenly.
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My case for mini blueberry muffins
Are you a sucker for mini foods? I am. Mini pies, mini tarts, mini cheesecakes and lots and lots of mini muffins. I’m even secretly addicted to those miniature food videos.
I’ve actually made mini blueberry muffins before (they’re gluten free and really delicious) but today’s blueberry corn muffins go in a very different direction.
These are soft, moist and lightly sweet. The cornmeal flavor is noticeable, but not dominant and since I used fine ground cornmeal, it’s not as coarse and rubbly as other cornbread recipes. Each mini muffin has pockets of jammy berries and lemon zest gives each bite a citrusy finish. Perfect for mini blueberry muffins.
Ingredients for blueberry corn muffins
- Melted Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Fine Cornmeal
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Whole Milk
- Sour Cream
- Egg
- Lemon Zest
- Blueberries
Pro-Tips:
- Check the expiration date on your baking powder before starting. It does lose its potency when the expiry date has passed.
- If possible, use whole milk and sour cream instead of low-fat or no-fat to keep the mini corn muffins moist and tender.
- Different kosher salts have different densities. I’ve given measurements for both Diamond Crystal (lighter and flakier & my personal favorite) and Morton’s, denser, saltier and requires less. Do not confuse plain iodized salt with Kosher salt — they are different. If you only have iodized, use 1/2 teaspoon.
I love the simplicity of this mini muffin recipe. It comes together in minutes and rather than hovering over a pancake or waffle griddle, these treats practically cook themselves. Perfect for lazy weekends.
How to make lemon blueberry corn muffins
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a small bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients (melted butter, milk, sour cream, egg & lemon zest) in a medium bowl and whisk well to blend.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir, just enough to combine so that there’s no dry bits left.
- Add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter.
- Divide the batter into the muffin tin, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out clean.
Do I need to coat the blueberries in flour or cornstarch?
No. Many recipes with a more delicate batter will recommend tossing the fruit into flour to prevent it from sinking to the bottom.
This recipe has a cornmeal batter which is thicker and sturdier than a traditional cake batter and therefore doesn’t require any special steps to keep the blueberries aloft in the mini muffins.
FAQ’s
Yes. Don’t thaw the berries before using, otherwise they can turn your batter blue and make the muffins a bit goopy. Add the blueberries frozen and bake the corn muffins immediately.
Yes. I’ve given baking times for several sizes of muffins in the recipe card below.
Definitely! You can use just about any type of berry in the batter (fresh or frozen). Try raspberries, halved blackberries, or even diced strawberries.
If you add too much fruit, or use frozen fruit that’s been thawed, it can make the muffins soggy. Follow the measurements for the recipe and if using frozen fruit, don’t thaw the fruit before adding it to the batter.
That’s actually what they’re supposed to do. Heat expands the cells of the blueberries so that they burst when baking, leaving pockets of jammy fruit for you to enjoy.
Optional garnishes for mini blueberry corn muffins
It’s not necessary to add any adornment to these muffins, but if you want to gild the lily, go for it! Here are a few ideas:
- Glaze them with a simple glaze made of 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of half and half. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
- Make a lemon glaze by mixing 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice together until smooth.
- After scooping the muffin batter into the tins, add 1/2 teaspoon of sparkling sugar to the tops of each, then bake. The sparkling sugar adds an irresistible crunch.
- Try a blueberry glaze for a show stopping presentation.
- Split the muffins in half and spoon on a bit of lemon curd or passionfruit curd.
- Serve blueberry corn muffins with smear of honey butter.
More muffin recipes you’ll love:
Blueberry Lemon Corn Muffins
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup fine ground cornmeal
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon Morton's
- 1 /2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 extra large egg at room temperature
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 ¼ cups blueberries
DIRECTIONS:
PREPARE THE MUFFIN TIN:
- Arrange the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Spray the muffin tin with nonstick vegetable spray and set aside.
MAKE THE MUFFIN BATTER:
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and kosher salt. Whisk together to combine.
- In a medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, sour cream and melted butter. Whisk well to combine, then add the lemon zest and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine. Fold in the blueberries and then portion the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes until the muffins are pale golden and a cake tester comes out dry with just some crumbs. (depending on the size of your muffin tins, it could take more or less time.). For extra mini one bite muffins, it's about 15-17 minutes. For larger 2-3 bite muffins, 20-22 and regular sized muffins, about 25-27.
RECIPE VIDEO:
NUTRITION:
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Love these little morsels!