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Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
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Cornbread makes a perfect backdrop for blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating little pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender.
You can’t help but love these little blueberry cornbread muffins. The slight crunch and savory flavor of the cornmeal make a perfect backdrop for blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender. Plus, they’re simple to make: with just a few bowls and a whisk, you can whip them up in 15 minutes, and enjoy them warm out of the oven with your coffee 30 minutes later.
What You’ll need to make blueberry cornbread muffins
How to make blueberry cornbread muffins
Begin by zesting the lemon (you’ll use the zest later) and combining the milk and lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, and you’ll have homemade buttermilk. (You could just use buttermilk, but since the recipe calls for lemon zest, you might as well just use the juice and avoid buying buttermilk.)
Meanwhile, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and in a large bowl. I like to place the ingredients in the bowl neatly, so I can see what I’ve already added — otherwise, I’m likely to forget.
Whisk until well combined.
To keep the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins, toss them with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk and lemon mixture with the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Stir until just blended.
Add the flour dusted blueberries.
Stir until just combined.
Spoon the batter into a muffin pan lined with paper liners. They will be very full.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until set and lightly golden.
Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack.
Serve warm with butter. Enjoy!
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Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
Cornbread makes a perfect backdrop for blueberries, which burst as they bake, creating little pockets of juice that keep the muffins tender.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (see note)
- 1½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon (about 1½ teaspoons)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners (don't skip the liners or the blueberries will stick to the pan).
- Combine the milk and lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Place the blueberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk/lemon mixture, vanilla and lemon zest. Add to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter. Stir until just blended; and then stir in the blueberries. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup very full. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden around the edges. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm with butter or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Notes:Be sure to zest the lemon before juicing it. Don't be tempted to increase the blueberries: one cup is just the right amount -- if you jam-pack the muffins with berries, they'll be too tart and wet.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 228
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Sugar: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 275mg
- Cholesterol: 53mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Used lime instead of lemon and blackberries instead of blueberries. Gorgeous taste of citrus and vanilla. Crispy tops and fruity interior. Sooo good!
I made these muffins using dehydrated blueberries that I rehydrated in juice to add flavor. I also added about 2 T. of minced ginger, and these turned out sensational! Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe. They were moist, full of flavor and had the perfect texture!
Love these muffins. I used applesauce instead of butter and had some heavy cream on hand so I used it up in place of milk. These muffins are absolutely delicious! Thanks!
Absolute perfection. I used spelt flour (to render it gluten free) and they were dynamite.
Hello! I want to move away from flour and am experimenting with spelt. How much spelt did you use?
Simple but delicious! I was looking for a recipe to use up cornmeal and I happened to have blueberries on hand, so this was perfect! The cornmeal adds a wonderful crunch. I’ll be making this again.
I found this recipe when looking for a different muffin to make. I’m tired of alternating between blueberry and corn muffins, abd the last time I tried something different I had some fresh peach muffins but they were too bland. Then I found your Blueberry Cornbread Muffins recipe and they’re SO good! I don’t usually have buttermilk in hand so I’ve shied away from recipes calling for it but for once I had all the other ingredients so I tried it.
For the buttermilk I used your recipe and added fresh lemon juice from the grated lemon peel. I didn’t have unsalted butter so I reduced the salt by 1/2. Finally, I don’t like things really sweet so I also reduced the sugar by 1/2. I also sprinkled some sugar crystals on top of each muffin before baking to add a little sparkle.
The muffins came out perfectly except I think I’d add a little more sugar and maybe more lemon peel back in the mix. I planned on having one for lunch until my 2 “kids” found me aka my parrots and between them they polished off almost 1/2 of my muffin. I couldn’t even tempt my mini macaw away with bananas, and he loves bananas!
I only had one small problem. Even thought I dusted the blueberries as you instructed many of the blueberries sunk to the bottom and burst and I don’t know why. Any suggestions? I’m wondering if it’s because I tinkered with the ingredients amounts?
I also wanted to add that I filled the cups a little over the top of my silicone mini muffin tray and they cooked fine except for the burst berries at the bottom of them. I let them sit in their cups for 15 minutes and the easily slipped out when I turned them upside down on a rack.
These are definitely going to be at the top of my list for muffins recipes! Although this recipe is a little labor intensive it’s well worth it in the end!
Hi Kathy, Glad to hear you enjoyed these! Regarding the blueberries bursting and sinking to the bottom, it’s normal for them to burst but if they’re sinking to the bottom of the muffins, it may mean that you need to use a flour that’s a bit higher in protein as that will add more structure to the muffins. I have great luck baking with King Arthur all-purpose flour. (And I’m not sure if reducing the sugar by half could have made a difference but there’s a chance that it had a bit of an impact.) Hope that helps!
Moist, delicious ! My kitchen smells amazing! Great recipe, thank you
Moist delicious and my kitchen smells amazing! Great recipe !!!
Are frozen blueberries o.k.?
Sure – just don’t thaw them first or the batter will turn purple. Enjoy!
Made a Loaf Instead – Still Great!
Just increased baking time to 45 minutes, and lined the pan with parchment paper for easy release.
I just popped these babies into the oven with two changes to the recipe: I reduced the sugar and added 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. I have a feeling they’ll taste delicious. I really appreciate the metric conversion option. Thanks for the recipe.
Where are the measuifor the ingredients???
Hi JB, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Great recipe for amazingly delicious muffins! Loved the tip to toss blueberries with 1t of the flour mixture. Really did keep the berries from sinking. Used a Meyer lemon 🍋 from our tree for the zest and to sour the milk.
Because of Celiac I used King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour and Bob’s Red Mill GF cornmeal. Thought the corn to flour ratio was perfect. I did reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup and will reduce to 1/4 next time.
Had a hankering for blueberry corn muffins today and these hit the spot. So happy I used this recipe. It’s a keeper!
I didn’t like these very much. To me the lemon doesn’t go well with the cornmeal. Either one is good in a muffin, but they don’t work together. And I prefer more cornmeal to flour, like real cornbread.
Where is the recipe for the blueberry cornbread muffins?
Hi Carol, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Followed directions as is and muffins were delicious and perfect!!
Jen, these were inhaled 🙂 I had prepackaged the dry ingredients because we were going to be staying with family at a cabin for the weekend, and I wanted to bake them there. The batter is forgiving. When I went to make them, I realized I had put ALL the dry ingredients together, which left me with nothing to cream the butter with. oh well. Beat the eggs and butter, added all the dry, and beat it until it was light and fluffy. Didn’t have lemon zest, because I used buttermilk, and forgot the vanilla. They baked up beautifully, & everyone loved them. Definitely in my rotation. The lemon zest would have been nice, but honestly? The flavor is great without it and the vanilla, because it allows the cornmeal to shine.
Delicious and easy! Love the little crisp crunch of cornmeal and juicy blueberry together in a warm breakfast bite.
Hi, Jenn
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I have some homemade wild blueberry spread I would like to substitute for the fresh blueberries. I know I should reduce the sugar in the batter (by how much?). I Prefer my muffins less sweet, anyway.… and also I am wondering if I’ll need to reduce the liquid or add some more dry ingredients? I have heard people talk about putting jam in btwn layers of batter, too. Any specific suggestions would be helpful… thanks!
Hi Val, what you’re suggesting sounds yummy, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Adding the jam would throw off the wet to dry ratio and although you could add more flour, I’m not sure how much you’d need. Sorry!
Great recipe. Made twice turns out perfect each time. Easy to follow instructions.
I use a Mockmill 200 to mill wheat berries for flour and to mill dent corn for cornmeal, etc. I made these today with one minor change. I used 150g local honey instead of the sugar. They came out unbelievably delicious. I thank you for posting this recipe. These will be a breakfast treat for years to come. Healthy and delicious!
This is my favorite recipe for muffins. I make them in the small cups pan and get a little over two dozen delicious muffins with the perfect balance of corn and blueberries.
Delicious way to use up blueberries! These were so good! I planned on freezing some of them but they were so good none of them made it to the freezer.
My family loves these muffins! There are now certain dishes that absolutely must be accompanied by these delicious muffins. I love the lemon flavor and the blueberries and the moistness!
Any advice on making gluten dairy free version?thx!!
Hi Melissa, I haven’t made these with any of these adjustments, but I think you could replace the flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour, use non-dairy milk, and a non-dairy butter substitute. Please LMK how they come out with these tweaks!
Can I use frozen blueberries for this? Is it best to add them while still frozen and do I still mix with the flour mixture?
Thanks!
Yes, frozen blueberries are fine and, yes, I’d add them while frozen or your batter will turn purple and I’d still toss them with the flour. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much! Cannot wait to try them!
These blueberry corn muffins were spot on! I made these last night and they were fabulous. Finally a recipe that works. I added your recipe to my favorites. Thank you so much my grandkids will enjoy these.
These were easy and fabulous. Did not last long enough to take a picture.
This recipe is perfect. Great texture, perfect balance of lemon to blueberries. And the addition of cornmeal is what I love. Thanks so much! This will be a standard for us.
PS Also cut down on sugar by 1/4 – 1/3
Delicious and oh so simple to make. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.
On a chilly September morning this recipe was just the thing! Absolutely delicious, full of flavor, the cornmeal texture enhanced the muffin and it was just the right amount of blueberries! Thanks for another winner Jenn!
I made these today. Easy and delicious! Thanks for another great, foolproof recipe Jenn!
Another excellent recipe: I cut back the sugar to scant 1/2 cup, closer to 1/3, substituted oil— 1/2 cup, and raised the milk to one cup. I baked in an 8×8 pan at 375— it took a while. It came out wonderful— fragrant, great taste and texture.
I have searched for this recipe for ever ! Five stars ⭐️ !
Fluff, flavourful and an absolute delight! A must make!
Tasty and foolproof! I made a number of substitutions to avoid an extra trip to the grocery store (applesauce for butter, lemon extract for vanilla extract, Bob’s Red Mill corn grits for cornmeal) and ended up microwaving the batter in a small glass casserole dish because of some oven-related issues—the result was still delicious. I’ll definitely be keeping this recipe for when we have a working oven again!
These are absolutely the best muffins I have ever made with blueberries. Moist, tasty, just enough sweet. This is the ONLY recipe for this type of muffin I’ll use from now on! Thanks, Jenn!
Really enjoyed these, but made some adjustments: cut the sugar by at least 1/3 to 1/2 cup and used 1+cup flour to 1-cup cornmeal because we love the cornbread taste.
Delicious. Easy to follow- however, only needed 15 minutes in my oven but I think my muffin cups were small ones. I also would prefer to use fine ground cornmeal to coarse (the kind in my cupboard) next time.
Hi Jenn! These muffins are amazing! I also made them dairy-free (using almond milk and vegan butter) and egg-free (using ground flax seed and hot water in a 1:3 ratio) for my allergic daughter… Turned out just as yummy!
OMG! Jenn another winner! My husband and I love both cornbread and blueberry muffins (love your recipe!). Now, that Jersey blueberries are in the store, I’m making all blueberries, all the time. I made these muffins this morning…unbelievable! I actually think they might be better than plain blueberry muffins. Sooo good! Next up…Boy Bait!
Quick question: what is the best way to keep them fresh overnight? I’ve tried different things and always end up with soggy muffins!
So glad you enjoyed these! Yes, because of the berries, they tend to get a little soggy. To store them, line a sealable container with a sheet of paper towels. Arrange the muffins in a single layer and cover with another sheet of paper towels to absorb any excess moisture and store them on the countertop.
I have been baking for over 50 years…I followed the recipe exactly and was so disappointed with the end result. They were flat, pale and rather bland in taste. I mixed the blueberries with a tsp of the flour mixture…I usually use more flour when doing this, but I followed the recipe. The blueberries stayed at the bottom of each muffin thereby sticking to the paper liners. Sorry for this review, but I like to be honest when reviewing anything.
It sounds like it might be a baker error or bad baking powder. We all loved this recipe!
Absolutely love these blueberry cornbread muffins! The blueberries were juicy and the butterty cornbread lacked the grittiness that sometimes accompanies cornmeal. How could this great recipe be turned into a bueberry cornbread in a loafpan or castiron pan?
So glad you enjoyed them! I do think it could be baked in a loaf pan or cast iron skillet, but not sure what the bake time will be so keep a close eye on it.
We are not traditionally huge fans of cornbread, but this recipe has changed our perspective! The muffins were amazing! Thank you for this recipe.
Easy to make, and delicious!! Great recipe!😁
Made these as mini muffins for a woman’s luncheon mostly because woman aren’t big eaters. They were fabulous!!! What was great was when there weren’t enough blueberries In the cup it was easy to poke in more blueberries so they were chock full. They didn’t stick because I used bak lene ZT spray and it worked beautifully. Also the edges of the minis got crispy and accentuated the cornmeal flavor as well. Discovered that baking powder has aluminum in it and imparts a metallic taste to any baked goods in which u use it. And the taste is awful. So be sure that u use baking powder without aluminum and u will notice a big difference.
Can you substitute honey for the sugar?
Hi Adaire, You could sub 2 tablespoons of the sugar with honey, but no more than that or the muffins will brown too much. Enjoy!
Use buttermilk instead of milk? The milk that i have smells a little sour.
I don’t recommend it here, Betsey – sorry!
I worked in Kentucky and nothing was wasted.Sour milk was put in pancake mixes, marinades for chicken and donuts.It’s also good for exfoliating(if you can handle the smell)😂
This has become a family favorite!! I make the muffins using 1:1 gluten free flour, then substitute 1/4 cup of the 1:1 flour with coconut flour. Comes out delicious! Thanks Jen!
These were very good! Really liked the recipe.
Can these be made in mini muffin pans? If so, how long would they need to bake?
Sure, Beth — I’d start checking them at 10 to 11 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
I made these today and they were perfect!
I did follow the recipe, which for me is rare. So I suspect I’ll do my own little things like a touch more lemon zest, a little less sugar. Maybe I’ll try brown sugar just to change it up! Who knows 😊
As it stands tho, this recipe is absolutely delightful and is rapidly disappearing before my eyes.
I did really like the tip about tossing the blueberries in some flour. I don’t know that trick, to stop the berries from sinking. Thanks!
This is a great recipe! I used one cup of fresh blackberries and reduced the sugar to one-half cup. The texture and flavor of the muffins came out perfect. I baked them an extra four minutes in my gas oven to achieve the golden color.
I was looking for a recipe to use cornmeal and discovered this. They are SO good my first thought was to not share them with the rest of the family. Thank you.
🙂 Glad you enjoyed them!