I'm pretty known for my over-the-top recipes, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate simplicity. These Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins are simple, but they're also soft, fluffy, and taste amazing!
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These Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins are soft, moist bakery style buttermilk muffins that are bursting with fresh blackberries! The lovely flavors and textures of these muffins make them a fantastic way to start your day!
If you enjoy this recipe, check out the posts for my Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins, Blackberry Lemon Bread, and Nutella Muffins!
Ingredients
This recipe has a short and straightforward list of ingredients! You probably have most of them in your fridge and pantry right now! No buttermilk? Check out the FAQ section below or the recipe notes for a quick substitution!
- Flour - Provides structure for the muffins. I used all-purpose flour.
- Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the muffins soft and moist.
- Baking Powder - Provide leavening for the muffins.
- Salt - To balance and enhance the flavors of the muffins.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Eggs - Two large eggs, to provide structure, additional leavening, and a little richness.
- Buttermilk - For flavor, richness, and moisture. Muffins with buttermilk will always be sooo soft and fluffy! (Check out the FAQ section below for a quick substitution if you don't have any on-hand!)
- Blackberries - For pops of blackberry flavor throughout! Fresh berries work best here. You can use frozen berries, but they are likely to bleed their color into the muffins. If you do use frozen berries, I suggest stirring them into the batter while they're still frozen.
- Raw Sugar (optional) - For sweetness and a lovely crunch on top!
Instructions
These babies are super easy to make, mixing up in one bowl! For tall, round, bakery-style muffins, check out my tips in the next section!
Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
Add melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Stir until nearly combined.
Toss the blackberries in about a tablespoon of flour (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins) and add to the batter.
Gently fold in the blackberries with a silicone spatula, taking care not to smash the berries.
Divide the batter between muffin cups. For tall, bakery-style muffins, fill only every other cup and then chill for at least an hour before baking.
Sprinkle raw sugar on top (if desired), then bake!
Tips for Bakery-Style Muffins
You know those gorgeous, tall bakery-style muffins? Ever wonder why your homemade muffins don't tend to be so tall and round? Here are a few tips to help you get the biggest boost!
- Start with room temperature ingredients. This is an important step, since the ingredients will only mix together properly if they're all at the same temperature. This means you'll want to leave our your butter, egg, and buttermilk to come to room temperature before you start!
- Let the batter rest/chill. Chilling the batter for at least an hour or up to overnight in the fridge makes a big difference! I only chilled my batter for an hour, and the muffins definitely rose higher! Since during this time the batter gets quite thick, I suggest chilling the batter after already portioning it out into the muffin pans. You can portion the batter after chilling, it will just be a little harder to work with.
- Only use every other muffin cup in your pan. If you leave half the cups empty, your muffins will have adequate room to grow! I've heard people say that you need to fill the empty muffin cups with a few tablespoons of water before baking, but I never have and both the muffins and the pans have always been fine. *shrugs* (Cooks Illustrated also agrees that's a myth.)
- Use a high bake temperature. Most muffin recipes bake longer on a lower temperature. These muffins bake at 400 degrees, which gives you an extra lift from all the steam generated at the higher temperature.
Variations
This recipe is fabulous as a base to use with other fruits/flavors!
- Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins- swap out blueberries for the blackberries!
- Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins- add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients, then use diced apples instead of blackberries.
- Lavender Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins - swap out lavender sugar for the regular granulated sugar in the batter and the raw sugar sprinkled on top!
I also have a chocolate chip version of this recipe that you can check out!
Storage
Once completely cool, you can store these muffins in an airtight container for 2-3 days on your counter. If you'd like to store them longer, they freeze beautifully and will keep for months in the freezer!
Frequently Asked Questions
For best results, I do suggest that you use buttermilk! That said, you can make a quick substitution if you don't have it on-hand. For this recipe, put 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk (I find that 2% milkfat or greater works best) to come up to the 1 cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes, then it's ready for use!
I suggest using fresh berries! Frozen berries will bleed their color into the batter and generally tend to be mushier after baking than fresh berries.
The short answer: no. This step will help your muffins to raise taller and rounder during baking, but this step isn't required!
Other Recipes You May Like
Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (see note)
- 1 ½ cups blackberries (see note)
- raw sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a two standard-size muffin pans or line with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). Stir to combine.
- Add melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk (see note). Stir until nearly combined.
- Toss the blackberries (see note) in about a tablespoon of flour to help ensure that they don't sink to the bottom of your muffins. Add the blackberries to the batter and gently fold them in with a silicone spatula, taking care not to smash the berries.
- Divide the batter evenly into 13 muffin wells, filling each the wells to the top. For tall, bakery-style muffins, fill only every other muffin cup and then chill for at least an hour (up to overnight) before baking. (This step is optional if you're short on time!)
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with raw sugar, if desired. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until slightly golden at the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I turned my muffins around after 10 minutes to help ensure even baking.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so before removing to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Once completely cool, you can store these muffins in an airtight container for 2-3 days on your counter. If you'd like to store them longer, they freeze beautifully and will keep for months in the freezer!Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate.
Trisha
I had a bunch of blackberries in my refrigerator, so I knew I needed to make these immediately! I really like how soft they are. Easy, too! Thanks!
Sofi
These are delicious! I can't wait to make them again.