These department store blueberry muffins are surprisingly simple to make, and deliver bakery-worthy perfection in every bite. Great as a breakfast treat, lunchbox snack, or summer night dessert served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, now you can recreate this iconic treat in your own kitchen.
This might sound really weird, but a few weeks ago I was really craving the texture of the blueberry muffins we buy here in Australia from one of our biggest supermarkets, Woolworths.
There’s something about the texture of their muffins that’s so incredibly cloud-like yet velvety. The crumbs are fine, soft, and moist. Of course, I didn’t want to ~buy~ the muffins, I just wanted a replica muffin at home. So naturally, I Googled “department store blueberry muffins recipe”. 😂 I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I thought it was ludicrous. But then again, Google has answers to everything anyway.
It turns out I’m not the only one who craves department store muffins. Apparently thousands before me craved them too, and considering the U.S. of A. has a monopoly on the inter web, it seems there was a particular department store muffin recipe people were insane for.
I took a history lesson, learning about Boston’s Jordan Marsh department store and the sweet treat they served their hungry customers after a long shop. I learned that these muffins have the ultimate buttery-moist-delicate crumb ratio without being too rich, too dense or too dry. Just the recipe, I’m looking for!
Ingredients for the Department Store Blueberry Muffins
- Plain flour – Also known as all-purpose flour. Aim to measure in grams using a kitchen scale as too much flour will affect the final texture of the muffins.
- Butter – Ensure butter is at room temperature to cream with the sugar.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is used for the batter and to sprinkle on top for that signature sugary crown.
- Eggs – Most baked goods call for room temperature eggs for better incorporation in the batter. Here we use cold eggs from the fridge to help achieve that classic tight, dense crumb of the original department store blueberry muffins.
- Milk – Half a cup of milk increases the moisture, creating a soft, tender crumb.
- Blueberries – The original recipe calls for mashing some of the blueberries to increase the moisture of the muffin. I skipped this step as blueberries tend to weep when baked. I have included this step in the recipe below for you.
- Vanilla – One teaspoon of good quality vanilla elevates the flavour of these departments store blueberry muffins to the next level.
- Baking Powder – To leaven the muffins for those perfectly high tops.
- Salt – Enhances and balances the overall flavour profile of the muffins.
Department Store Blueberry Muffins Method
These iconic muffins come together in 7 simple steps. The first, and possibly the most important step is creaming the butter and sugar. You may have a realised all delicate cakes begin with this step. It’s crucial for achieving a soft and tender crumb.
Why should I cream my butter and sugar?
This creaming technique does not just combine the ingredients, it aerates them. Aerating butter by whisking it vigorously is made easier with sugar as the sugar crystals efficiently trap the air bubbles in. The finer your air bubbles are, the lighter in texture your muffins will be – which results in a finer crumb. This is a true characteristic of the department store blueberry muffins, and the said texture I was craving. To achieve the finer air bubbles, use an electric mixer and be careful not to let your butter get too warm. Read further below for more tips on this.
- Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
- Sift your baking powder, salt, and vanilla over the batter and beat well. Alternate adding the flour and milk and mixing well after each addition.
- Mash a quarter of the berries (optional). Add mashed and remaining berries into batter, reserving a few to add to the top of the muffins.
- Line a muffin pan with paper cases and divide batter evenly.
- Top with reserved blueberries and sprinkle each muffin with a teaspoon of sugar.
- Bake in a preheated oven until deeply golden and cooked through.
Can I substitute fresh with frozen blueberries?
Yes! If you don’t have fresh blueberries on hand, or they’re out of season, or you just don’t have enough for the recipe, you can substitute with frozen blueberries. Do not thaw before mixing into the batter. Do not lightly mash any of the blueberries.
I forgot to bring the butter to room temperature, help!
Really soft or melted butter will not hold air bubbles like cold or room temperature butter. So the first piece of advice I can give you is: do not soften/melt your butter in the microwave. The quickest way to warm your butter slightly is to cut it into 1 inch (or about 2cm) cubes and set it aside while you measure out and prepare the rest of your ingredients. By the time you line your tin, preheat the oven, and finish your mise en place, the butter would have softened slightly in comparison to being rock-hard from the fridge. Another great hack is to place your measured butter between two sheets of parchment paper and whack it with a rolling pin until fairly thin.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that you can in fact use fridge-cold butter, it’s just harder to work with. If you choose to do this because you’re short on time, simply cut the butter into small cubes as mentioned and beat with an electric mixer for about a minute before adding the sugar. You may need to cream the butter and sugar for a couple of extra minutes to ensure proper creaming.
My butter has gone too soft and is melting!
If you are using room temperature butter and you feel like it’s starting to soften too much as you’re beating it with the sugar, go to the next step and add one of the eggs, ensuring the egg is cold from the fridge to help cool down the overall batter temperature. Proceed with the recipe once the egg is well combined.
If your room temperature butter has gotten too soft before you start the creaming, simply place it in the fridge for up to 5 minutes to solidify again.
Craving another bakery classic?
Check out some of my other cake recipes here. I especially recommend trying my bakery-worthy classic vanilla butter cake. It’s so moist and tender you’ll raise an eyebrow or two claiming it’s homemade. 😌
Department Store Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) blueberries, fresh if possible
- 2 cups (240g) plain, all purpose flour
- ½ cup (115g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- ½ cup (125ml) milk
- 2 large eggs, cold from fridge
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 teaspoons granulated sugar (1 for each muffin)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F or 170°C fan forced.Lightly grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin. Alternatively, line with paper cups.
- Add butter and sugar to a bowl and cream using a stand or handheld electric mixer until well combined.Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each egg.
- Beat in the baking powder, vanilla and salt.Remember to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Alternately add the flour and milk in 2 batches, beating after each addition on low speed. Scrape bowl to well combine.
- Mash 1/4 cup of the blueberries and add both mashed and whole berries to the batter, mixing in with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix. Save a few berries to add on top for aesthetic purposes, if desired.
- Evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups and top with reserved berries and 1 teaspoon of sugar (per muffin).
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Check at the 20 minute mark for doneness. Do not overbake as this will dry the muffins out. An inserted skewer should come out cleanly (ignoring any blueberry juice that may get on it).Let cool for 10 minutes before bringing to room temperature on a cooling rack.
Notes
Tried it? Let me know if you liked it!
Bake up your own and let me know if these muffins lived up to the department store legend! Rte the recipe so others can find it, and don’t forget to tag your creations on Instagram with @tilgoldenbrown #tilgoldenbrown so I can feature them! 
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