Simple blueberry muffins

Sugar-topped muffins with fresh blueberries

I'd never made blueberry muffins from scratch before — just the boxed mix growing up. So when this recipe from Once Upon a Chef was met with vigorous approval from my taste-testing friends, I was plenty happy. These fresh berry muffins are tender and flavored with vanilla and a hint of almond — that's the kicker. A little almond goes a long, delicious way! Oh, and the raw sugar topping. Magic.

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WHAT YOU'LL NEED
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup milk
2 and 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
raw sugar 
nonstick spray or muffin liners

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray the cups of a muffin tin with nonstick spray or line the cups with paper liners and spray with nonstick spray (I skipped the liners and it was fine). 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. 

3. In a larger bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and almond extract. 

4. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with milk, beating on a slow speed and taking care not to over mix. Add the berries and fold in gently, taking care not to over mix. 

5. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin (I got 15 good-sized muffins from this amount of batter). Sprinkle the tops evenly with raw sugar. Bake for 22 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of the muffins and how your oven heats). 

6. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge of each to remove from pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, working carefully as the blueberries can stick to the bottom of the pan.

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I love that the sugar topping for these muffins is the easiest thing ever — just spooning sweet, raw crystals atop each before they bake. When the muffins first come out of the oven, the sugar top is wonderfully crisp, giving way to a soft crumb. Perfect texture.

Sadly that beautifully caramelized muffin top (my favorite!) doesn't last overnight — tupperware turns the tops soft. But that's when my friends got to eat 'em, and they were still raving about these muffins. It seems that whether you indulge while they're hot from oven or let them rest overnight, you can't go wrong!