Small-Batch Berry Muffins

It’s small-batch-baking again this week guys.  I’ve been loving all the requests for small-batch baking, and I might make a whole section on my website for it in the future! Right now, I’m going to stick to updating some of my most popular recipes to small-batch form for you guys!

Today, it’s muffins. I love this recipe because it’s super flexible. I used some leftover berries from Easter for it, but you can use whatever you have, including chopped up chocolate if it sounds good to you today!

But really, if you can whip up just a few muffins to enjoy for breakfast this week, why not? I know I’m missing my normal coffee shop stop in the morning, and if you are too, get down with some bakery-style muffins and your morning coffee just the same. These come together quickly, and they are a big reward at the end of the baking tunnel.

How to Make Small-Batch Berry Muffins

We start out by mixing together our dry ingredients. In this case, that’s flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Throw in the zest of a lemon for some real brightness here. In a small bowl, we’re stirring together all the wet ingredients- milk, vanilla extract, melted butter, and one egg. Make a well, and pour the wet into the dry.

Mix it up a few folds, but before all the flour has been mixed in, toss in your berries. This will allow them to get slightly coated in the flour mixture to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.

I used blackberries and raspberries here, that’s just what I had on hand. You can use any small berries or a mix- raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries would be great options. You just don’t want to use strawberries as they let off too much moisture.

At this point you need to let the batter rest. It’s hard to wait, but letting the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes will help them rise higher, and will help all the flavors marry.

Scoop the batter evenly into 6 or 7 muffin tins- this will depend on the size of your muffin tin, but mine ends up making 7. You want the batter to nearly reach the top of the cups, very full, and much more full than you would typically do for a cake batter. Then, sprinkle the tops generously with some extra sugar, or even coarse sugar if you have it.

Bake them for about 16-20 minutes, or until they are puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Right when they come out of the oven, you want to use a butter knife to just help loosen any over-hanging edges. If you do this when they are cool, they will be a bit too stuck to the pan.

And that’s it! These are seriously good, puffy, crunchy on top, and fluffy in the middle. Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Small-Batch Berry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar (plus more for sprinkling on top)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1-2 tbs. fresh lemon zest (from one lemon)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup blackberries and raspberries (or small berries of your choice)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, stir together the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and the egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. 

2. Stir together for just a couple of turns. While there are still pockets of dry flour in the mixture, toss in your berries. Continue to stir together until no dry pockets remain, but do not over-mix. 

3. Cover, and let the batter rest on your counter for 30 minutes. This will help everything come together before baking, and it also helps to ensure you get high-domed muffins. 

4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray your baking pan with baking spray- you want the spray to coat the top of the pan mostly to prevent overhang from sticking. Line with paper cups. 

5. Once your batter has rested for a full 30 minutes, scoop evenly into your prepared pan. The muffin cups should be very full here, with the batter coming up almost the top of the cups. Generously sprinkle the tops with more sugar. 

6. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the muffins are puffed, lightly golden brown, and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Once removed from the oven, use a butter knife to ensure that any overhanging parts don't stick to the pan. Cool the muffins completely in the pan, and enjoy! 

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!

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