The Ritz-Carlton Blueberry Muffins

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Time:

45m

Difficulty:

Easy

Loot:

~ 12 muffins

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A little history lesson for you today…

I began fooling around with this recipe a couple of years ago after reading it in the New York Times (shout-out Jim Wilson). However, I later learned that our buddy, Jim, grabbed the technique from the muffins served in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston, who learned it from the neighboring Gilchrist’s department store, which apparently stole it from the Jordan Marsh department store. Wow. That’s a lot of stealing. As a Chicagoan, that warms my heart.

Anyhow, this recipe is too damn good, I always end up mass-producing this recipe in double to triple-size batches. The sensation of that first refreshing burst of blueberry against your teeth followed by the ultra-moist bite of golden blue cake is unbeatable on a hot summer day. But in the chillier days of fall and winter, it will never cease to bring a smile to my face — like a postcard from summer itself.

Word to the Wise

• Toss your whole blueberries in flour before folding. This will help them get more sticky in the batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom.

• Pat your blueberries dry with a paper towel after the wash. Put a paper towel over the lot, and pat them with paper towels until when you put a single sheet over the berries, it doesn’t turn transparent. 

• Use the toothpick/chopstick test when you think your muffins are done. Again, ovens can be different from time to time. But if it comes out clean, it’s done.

• Store in an airtight container with a paper towel. These muffins are beautifully moist, but if you want ‘em to stay that way, you need to cover them up to prevent they don’t dry out. Store them on top of a paper towel to ensure the trapped moisture doesn’t make the muffins too soggy.

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened.

• 1 ¼ cup white granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 tsp baking powder 

• ½ cup whole milk, temperature doesn’t matter

• 2 cups blueberries, washed and picked over (no stems, no sticks, no seeds, ooh-wee).

• 3 tsp brown sugar (optional, but really nice topping).

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

4. Pour in your vanilla.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder into a separate mixing bowl. This will be your dry mixture.

6. Pour in half of the dry mixture, then pour in the milk. Mix until just combined.

7. Pour in the rest of your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

8. Crush 1/2 cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. 

9. Toss the remaining whole blueberries in a bit of flour. Taking the mixing bowl with the batter off the stand mixer, manually fold in your floured berries.

10. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill with batter. 

11. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the tops of the muffins (optional, but adds a really lovely caramelization and shine to the muffins that really set them apart).

12. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. But my personal sweet spot is 32 minutes. Try the toothpick/chopstick test if you’re not sure.

13. Remove muffins from tin and cool for at least 30 minutes. Store in an airtight kitchen container (preferably with a paper towel) to soak up excess moisture, but prevent them from drying out…if they last long enough.