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Old fashioned blueberry muffins with a tender crumb, a crackly sanding sugar top, and blueberries in every bite. These are the muffins with tall domed tops and crisp edges, baked at a high temperature so they rise fast and stay soft inside.

This is the blueberry muffin I grew up on. No sour cream. No streusel. No buttermilk. Just butter, sugar, eggs, milk, flour, and blueberries.

Stacked old fashioned blueberry muffins with a blue checkered linen napkin.

Why These Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins Work

375°F is the right temperature. Most muffin recipes call for 350. Old fashioned blueberry muffins need a hotter oven. The higher heat makes the batter rise fast and pushes the tops up into domes. The edges set crisp while the inside stays tender.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Do not rush this. It takes a full two to three minutes with a hand mixer. The air you beat in is what gives these muffins lift. No shortcut works.

Alternate the flour mixture with the milk. Dry, wet, dry, wet, dry. This keeps the batter from getting overworked. Add flour last so you do not overmix.

Frozen blueberries work as well as fresh. Do not thaw them. Fold them into the batter straight from the freezer. They hold their shape better and bleed less into the batter. Fresh works fine too. Either way, fold gently so they do not smash.

Sanding sugar on top makes the muffin. It gives the top a crackly crunch that granulated sugar cannot match. If you do not have sanding sugar, a sprinkle of regular sugar works in a pinch but the crunch is smaller.

Birdseye view of blueberry muffins made with fresh blueberries.

How to Make Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Start and end with flour. Beat just until combined after each addition.
Gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula. If using frozen, keep them frozen until this step. Do not smash the berries.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin liners. Sprinkle sanding sugar on top of each.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

A fork in an old fashioned blueberry muffin on a blue decorative plate.

Quick Tips

Cream the butter and sugar a full 2 to 3 minutes. Pale and fluffy is the goal.
Frozen blueberries go in straight from the freezer. Do not thaw them.
Fold the blueberries in gently. A few streaks of batter are fine. Smashed berries bleed.
Sanding sugar gives the best crunch. Regular sugar works but the texture is different.
Do not open the oven early. The muffins need steady high heat to dome.

Cupcake wrapper peeled away from a blueberry muffin made with fresh blueberries.

Make Ahead and Storage

These muffins freeze for up to 3 months. Cool them completely, wrap each one individually, and freeze in a freezer bag. Thaw on the counter or warm in the microwave for a few seconds.

Store fresh muffins on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

More Muffin Recipes

For more muffin recipes, try my banana chocolate chip muffins or my sour cream coffee cake muffins. Both are breakfast favorites.

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Dana

Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.

Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.