There are only a few things that can tempt me to turn on my oven during the month of July. These include chocolate chip cookies (which are always in season, in my humble opinion), cherry pie and these blueberry muffins.
Anything else isn’t worth suffering through the inevitable increase in the air temperature of my household from running a screaming hot oven. July is all about trying to stay cool and collected.
Blueberry muffins are a breakfast classic that’s hard to improve upon. Even in their simplest form, they are already pretty great.
I mean, what’s not to love about moist, cake-like muffins bursting with fresh, plump blueberries?
But I’ve added a few extra bells and whistles to this recipe, like fresh basil and a dollop of homemade blueberry-basil sauce, that I think takes them one step closer to perfection.
These Blueberry-Basil Muffins are ideal for breakfast, brunch or on-the-go snacking. And they showcase all the deliciousness of fresh seasonal blueberries and basil.
So turn on your air conditioner and crank up your oven, because these babies are totally worth getting sweaty over!
The base recipe for these muffins is one I’ve adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, My Father’s Daughter. I’ve been using her recipe for years and it never disappoints.
But admittedly, the first time I made them, I was a bit skeptical that the muffins would actually turn out. You see, the muffin batter is extremely thick and it fills the wells of muffin tin almost to the brim.
So I assumed I had read the instructions wrong. Or measured out some of the ingredients incorrectly. But I hadn’t. It’s just how this recipe is. And wouldn't you know it, it works fabulously every single time!
I hope you love these muffins as much as I do. And if you're looking for a plant based version, be sure to check out my vegan blueberry muffins here. And if you really can't be bothered to crank up the oven on a hot summer day, you can always whip up this easy blueberry mousse instead!
Recipe
Ingredients
For the blueberry-basil sauce:
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
For the muffins:
- ½ cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
Make the blueberry-basil sauce:
- Add all of the ingredients to a microwave safe container. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then remove the container from the microwave and use the back of a spoon to break apart any blueberries that are still whole. Cover and refrigerate the sauce until well chilled.
Make the muffins:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, milk, eggs, basil and lemon zest on medium speed until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. With your mixer on low, slowly add in the flour, ¾ cups of the sugar, baking powder and salt, beating until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Fold in the blueberries.
- Scoop the muffin batter into your prepared muffin tin, dividing the batter evenly between the 12 cups. Add a small amount of the sauce to the center of each muffin, using about ½ to 1 teaspoon of the sauce for each muffin, pushing it down as far as you can into the batter. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the tops of the muffins.
- Transfer the muffin tin to your pre-heated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes. The tops of the muffins should be slightly brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in their tin for 5-10 minutes. Then remove the muffins from their tin and transfer them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Once fully cooled, the muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Julia @ Sprinkles & Saturdays says
I love the idea of adding basil to these muffins! Fresh herbs among all the sweetness can be really incredible. Can't wait to try them!
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Liz says
Let me know how they turn out!
Meghan says
These sound so intriguing! My husband is gluten free so I will try and swap out with a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend...hopefully they will turn out just as tasty!
Liz says
Hi Meghan! How did the gluten free flour work in this recipe? I'd love to hear about your experience. Thanks!
Meghan says
They turned out so good!! I used Bob's Red Mill Cup-For-Cup Gluten Free Baking Flour. The gluten free flour didn't really mix great in the mixer, but I had a feeling that would happen as it doesn't have the same consistency as regular flour, so as soon as everything was mixed and starting to ball together I finished folding the blueberries in by hand. I also had to roll the dough into balls by hand and then place them into the muffin tins. But, the end product was delicious! Even my husband, who was skeptical of the basil, was asking for more!
Liz says
I'm so happy to hear that it worked out well with the gluten-free flour. That's great to know. Yay!
Jayme | holly & flora says
If we only had AC! I made the mistake of using the oven last week. We were out of propane for the grill, and I reeeeeeally wanted some grilled peaches. The house was hot for hours. I'm so with you on adding herbs in fruit recipes, even the baked ones! So good!
Liz says
Yeah it's a tough call in the Summer re: the oven. I do it rarely. These muffins are worth it! 🙂
Sawyer says
Not sure I want to brave the oven in this heat, but I think I'm definitely going to try out that sauce! I love making microwaved fruit compotes but I've never thought of adding herbs to them. Thanks for the idea!
Aria Smith says
YUM! This looks great! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing such healthy and easy recipe!!
Alex says
Do you think these would work with flax eggs instead of chicken eggs? Thanks!
Bhavana says
It should! I've been making eggless muffins for over a year now. I've not tried this one yet, but I don't see why there'd be any issues.
Diane says
These came out really good and puffed nicely over the top of the pan. Not too sweet. It is middle of winter and I had some fresh basil, but used frozen blueberries; a no-brainer substitute for fresh. Just microwave the sauce for 90 seconds instead of 60, but otherwise no difference.
Katie Trant says
Yum! Good to know that frozen blueberries work in a pinch!
Mary says
I baked these muffins tonight and I am thrilled with the results! There’s plenty of herbaceous flavor from the basil but it balances out nicely against the sweetness of the blueberries + sugar (and I used slightly less sugar than the recipe). Also, I took the muffins out at the 25 minute mark and found them crispy on the top and moist in the middle. Would bake these again.