perfectly tender and incredibly yummy! These gluten-free blueberry muffins have a shiny sugar crust on top, and they’re moist and full of fresh blueberries inside!
Not a single dry crumb!
These gluten-free blueberry muffins have become a must-have recipe in our house. I’ve made them more times than you can count on the fingers of one hand, and I’ve also made them with regular whole wheat flour. Of course, this recipe is also suitable for those who are not necessarily on a gluten-free diet.
As our trip to Italy approaches, it’s getting harder and harder to get everything done before we leave. I have been having very hectic days lately, going from the time the alarm clock rings in the morning to the time I put my head on the pillow in the evening. For all those crazy mornings, I start baking things like these gluten-free blueberry muffins and my breakfast croissants to use for breakfast on the go.
My husband calls these blueberry muffins his morning dessert. I consider myself lucky if I manage to get something before lunch.
The best homemade gluten-free blueberry muffins:
I’ve shared a few muffin recipes with you in the past, like my healthy carrot muffin. But, this is actually the first time I’ve tried my hand at a gluten-free blueberry muffin recipe. Of course, you can substitute blueberries for raspberries or even blackberries if you like. This recipe also works well with a simple substitution.
As a kid, when we went to Sam’s Club, my favorite choice was the giant muffins from the baking department. Have you ever tried them? They are so delicious! There were banana and walnut muffins, blueberry muffins, chocolate muffins, and chocolate chip muffins to choose from. Although I haven’t eaten muffins since I was a teenager, I still remember being drawn to the chocolate variety. It wasn’t until the chocolate muffins were sold out that I opted for fruit muffins.
It’s strange how things have evolved. Today, it’s more of the opposite. I’d rather have a blueberry muffin than a chocolate one any day
The baking mix we use for our gluten-free blueberry muffins
First of all, you need gluten-free flour. Sometimes it’s sold as a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix. For those not too familiar with this type of baking mix, it’s usually a combination of brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and white rice flour. This does not necessarily imply that it contains all of these components, although most gluten-free baking mixes do contain some or all of them to varying degrees. It also says on the package or box that it is a “1:1 baking mix.” This means that you can substitute whole wheat flour directly for the gluten-free mixture and get similar results. You can also find it online if your grocery store doesn’t carry it.
All you need to bake gluten-free blueberry muffins:
- Baking soda.
- Softened butter
- sugar
- ground cinnamon/nutmeg
- vanilla/peanut extract
- eggs
- buttermilk
- Blueberries
Although this recipe is pretty similar to most gluten-free blueberry muffin recipes, I believe it has an element that gives it added value. Almond extract is an ingredient I often use to make blueberry muffins. Until recently, I was not a fan of this product. In fact, I still reserve the right to use it in a few well-chosen muffin recipes. But there’s something special about blueberry muffins, and almond extract suits them. It enhances the flavor and makes it look like a baked muffin. If you’re not a fan, I recommend giving it a shot because you can always change your mind; it’s only 14 teaspoons!
One last thing I wanted to mention is buttermilk. Buttermilk gives these gluten-free blueberry muffins a distinctive, slightly sour taste. It tends to work well in recipes that contain berries. The sourness of buttermilk also helps these muffins rise.
How to make the best gluten-free blueberry muffins :
The method is quite simple. We mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Then beat the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time, then the extracts, and finally the buttermilk and flour until everything is combined. Be careful not to over-mix the mixture.
Before adding the blueberries to the batter, wash them and roll them in a tablespoon of flour. This will prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.
TIP: If you want your muffins to look more attractive, set aside some blueberries and cover them with the batter after spreading them in a paper-lined muffin tin. They will burst, the juice will run down the sides, and the muffins will look great.
Then sprinkle the muffins with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and let them bake. The hardest part is not eating them when they come out of the oven hot! The sugar on top gives the muffins their maximum crunch. These muffins are addictive!
How long will they last?
In my experience with gluten-free muffins in the summer, they don’t last more than a couple of days. especially in the Texas heat! For this reason, I usually make a batch, send some to family or friends, and keep some for myself. Or I can do option number two, described below.
Can you freeze gluten-free blueberry muffins?
The answer is yes, you can! You can bake these muffins, let them come to room temperature, then transfer them to a ziplock bag and freeze them for up to 2 months. Just let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight and they will be ready to eat in the morning.
Spread some butter on them while they are still warm and eat them over the sink. It is much tastier this way. I hope these gluten-free blueberry muffins become a Sunday morning staple for you!
YIELD: 12 MUFFINS
Outrageous Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
prep time 10 MINUTES cook time 28 MINUTES total time 38 MINUTES
Perfectly delicate and quite addictive! These gluten-free blueberry muffins have a sparkling sugar crust on top and are soft within, brimming with juicy blueberries!
Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free baking mix or whole wheat flour (more)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional) and nutmeg (optional).
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
1 cup (4 tablespoons) powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 425°; line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In another bowl, mix washed berries with 1 tablespoon of flour.
- PREPARATION: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute. Then add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar and whipped cream for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down the sides. With the mixer on, add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each one is well mixed before adding the next one. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Add half of the prepared flour mixture, then all of the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour, mixing well, but being careful not to over-mix. Sprinkle the flour and berries into the mixture until completely combined* If you over-mix, you will end up with blue/green muffins when you bake.
- Baking: Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the muffins with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the baking tray in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF. Bake the muffins for 26-32 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes.
- If you have unsalted butter, increase the amount of salt to ½ teaspoon.
- Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days at room temperature. You can also put them in an airtight bag and freeze them for later.
