Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

The running joke in our house is that once blueberries are in season, a pint of them won’t last a full day before being inhaled. They are, by far, Josh’s favorite fruit, and one of the only ways I can convince him to let me do something with them (besides eating them by the handful) is to tell him that I’m going to make these muffins. That is the power of these muffins.

Honestly, what’s not to love? Fresh blueberries, folded into a not overly sweet batter, laced with nutty browned butter. All very, very good things.

The original recipe calls for a streusel topping as well, but we like them best when they’re simple and unfussy. The batter is thick, and I wind up having to gently mush it into the muffin liners with my fingertips, taking care not to burst the blueberries.

Go find some fresh blueberries (raspberries would work beautifully as well!) and experience them for yourself.

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins (recipe from Joy the Baker)

• 7 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Place you oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 375. Grease or foil/paper line your muffin tin.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. It will get all crackly and it might stress you out, but that’s a happy sound. Once the crackling starts to subside, the fat pieces turn a nice golden brown, and it starts to smell nutty, it’s ready to take off the heat. You really need to watch it closely, because it WILL burn. Stressed again?

Combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla and whisk well.  Slowly stir in the browned butter.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Carefully fold in the blueberries.

Divide evenly among the muffin cups and spread them out until the tops are flat. I usually wind up doing this gently with my fingertips because the batter is definitely on the thick side.

Bake for about 18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Best eaten still warm with some extra butter. Butter makes it better.