By Marian Burros
- Total Time
- About 40 minutes
- Rating
- 4(4,304)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe came to The Times by way of Marian Burros in a 1985 article about the famous muffins served at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Boston. The hotel has been serving blueberry muffins since it opened in 1927, but in 1971, then pastry chef Charles Bonino set out to develop a better recipe. One of the city's best-known department stores, Gilchrist's – long since closed – was renowned for its version, so Mr. Bonino bought dozens of the muffins over the years and would analyze and and try to replicate them. He was never totally happy with the results, even if the guests were. Gunther Moesinger, the pastry chef who succeeded Mr. Bonino in 1982, again made more changes, swapping out shortening for butter, increasing the eggs and blueberries and reducing the baking powder. This recipe is an adaptation of Mr. Moesinger's recipe which results in a plump, crusty-topped muffin. They're best eaten the day they are made.
(After this article ran, a reader wrote in to argue that the department store Jordan Marsh's blueberry muffins were the best in Boston, not these. That recipe is here, so you can decide for yourself.)
Featured in: DE GUSTIBUS; MUFFINS ARE A SPECIAL WAY TO ENJOY BLUEBERRIES
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Ingredients
Yield:15 to 16 large muffins
- 3½cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons baking powder
- ¾cup sugar
- Pinch salt, optional
- 5eggs, slightly beaten
- ½cup milk
- 5ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 4 or 5cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- Additional sugar for topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
253 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 170 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Step
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Mix all dry ingredients together. Stir in eggs, milk and butter; do not overmix. Carefully stir in berries.
Step
3
Grease the top of large muffin tins. Insert paper cups and spoon batter to the top of the paper cups. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
Step
4
Reduce heat to 400 degrees, place muffin tins on middle shelf of oven. Bake about 25 minutes, until muffins are golden brown. Remove from muffin tins and cool.
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4,304
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Cooking Notes
S. Rose
I've made this recipe maybe one hundred times over the years - in season, I'll bake another batch as soon as we exhaust the previous one. NB: if you use frozen blueberries, it will take longer (is this obvious?) and yield less consistent results. This is a good recipe to cook in parchment muffin cups as they tend to stick to the paper ones.
lilian
They are very good. I also like them because they are not very sweet. I have cut the recipe in half and that gives you 12 regular size muffins plenty for us at home.
LL
Recipe halves beautifully. Instead of 3/4 sugar use slight 1/2 cup and instead of 5 eggs use 3. Remember re butter the recipe calls for ounces NOT tablespoons. Two tablespoons equal one ounce. Renders 12 regular sized muffins. I do not use cupcake papers as it tends to make muffins dryer. Also after cooling I wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and put all in large freezer bag. Great to have around for company - just take as many out as you need acouple hours before to thaw.
jd
Not my personal favorite blueberry muffin recipe, the muffin itself is fairly bland but blueberries are certainly the star here. The batter is very very thick like a dough. It's a bit like a good biscuit with blueberry jam - not a bad thing, just not my preference. Note the butter is ounces not tablespoons, which is unusual in a recipe.
Linda
Mix the blueberries into the dry ingredients first. That way they won't sink to the bottom of the muffins.
Mary W
While I remain an ardent fan of the Jordan Marsh muffins (and was unaware that Gilchrist's even sold blueberry muffins), Gilchrist's did sell amazing almond macaroons. As I recall, each came in its own (waxed?) paper envelope. Or maybe Mom only bought me a single one as a treat at the end of our shopping expedition!
Any chance the recipe for Gilchrist's macaroons is out there somewhere?
Leah Eselgroth Gold
I have known the Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins, they were delicious. However, I love a touch of lemon with blueberries. America's Test Kitchen offers their "Best" recipe for blueberry muffins which is delicious also. It incorporates lemon zest and buttermilk, both bringing a tang and zing to the end product. Here is a link to their recipe:
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/4736-best-blueberry-muffins?...
Venezia
This recipe is the best from all I have tried. As I have food intolerance, it worked very well as gluten free and low carb. I substitute the 3 cups flour with buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup almond flour. I used coconut sugar as substitution of the regular sugar. So delicious. Even made a blueberry bread from the same recipe and it turn up great.
George
This recipe is similar to America's test kitchen recipe... very good, but for my money the "Jordan Marsh Blueberry muffin" recipe is still my favorite.
CJ
As others have noted: super thick dough. Be sure to sift the flour as directed. Added an extra splash of milk just to get it mixed (but not much). Used 5 cups blueberries. Not too sweet, but that's what we wanted. Baked just about 20 minutes. Used regular cupcake liners in a regular muffin tin, and this made 30 muffins. Omitted extra sugar on top. New go-to recipe. Will def. make again.
Paula
Someone requested Gilchrist's Almond Macaroons:
http://oldenewenglandrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/11/gilchrists-macaroons-r...
Anne G.
I used a lemon crumb topping instead of the sugar. This is the best muffin recipe I have ever tried.
Sheila
A friend brought me 2 quarts of blueberries. I selected this recipe simply because it was the one with the most blueberries. I wanted to share and this recipe yields 16 muffins. I made the recipe as written. The results were beautiful (the first criteria for a great muffin) and delicious. These are blueberry delights. Not too sweet, in fact you almost can't taste the sweetness. Lots, and lots of blueberries. Isn't that the point? My friends couldn't stop raving about them.
Janet from Boston
The recipe for the Jordan Marsh muffins is on the Times website also.
Susan from Boston
As all Bostonians know, Gilchrists made macaroons, Jordan Marsh made famous and fabulous blueberry muffins. Can't wait to try this recipe.
SLMD
The 5 ounces of butter was confusing because most recipes use tablespoons of butter. My muffins were dry and the blueberries stuck to the bottom of the paper baking cups. I threw them in the freezer hoping someone will eat them (not me). I'm going back to the Jordan Marsh recipe.
Danielle B.
So, I've made these a few times now, and I think I've found ways to improve them! I added about half a teaspoon of baking soda, used buttermilk instead of regular milk, and did a cup of sugar instead of 3/4th of a cup. They came out soooo delicious. Highly recommend these additions/modifications!
Jae
This is essentially the recipe for fruit scones put in a muffin cup rather than rolled out and cut into circles or triangles, so I decided to cut in the butter with the flour rather melt it and mix it in. These are delicious and meant to melt butter with when eating!
AP
Used 1 cup of dark brown sugar instead and added a crumb topping. They freeze up perfectly. Next time I will add lemon zest, as suggested by another reviewer.
j3
Tried a couple of times and this just isn’t my jam. The dough is so thick (resembles peanut butter cookie dough) it breaks the blueberries when folding them in. If you like very dense muffins, this is for you. Definitely sprinkle the sugar on top, helps make these palatable.
mim
Dry and bland, even with the addition of lemon zest. Skip them.
SadBlueberryQuiche
I just baked these and they're so eggy. Extremely eggy. 5 eggs is a wild idea! They taste like a blueberry muffin-inspired quiche! Never again. The ones with too many blueberries are the only ones that are salvageable IMO because there's less batter. Please save yourself time and try the Jordan Marsh ones instead!
David W
The blueberries are absolutely the star of the show, and fresh picked blueberries are stellar here. It's quite refreshing to have a blueberry muffin with LOADS of blueberries in every muffin.However the recipe calls for *just a little* too many blueberries. I never thought I'd say that. Maybe 3 1/2 cups instead?The muffin itself is rather bland, but otherwise great. Adding a bunch of lemon zest and a touch of thyme or a bit of vanilla would showcase the blueberry flavor better.
Irwin
A bit less blueberries and the addition of fresh ground nutmeg make for a more flavorful muffin.
Elaine
Wish the recipe was in grams and not cups. I used 3/5 cups of flour and had to add a full half cup more milk just to absorb the flour. They could use a little lemon zest and vanilla. Very bland
Ann S.
I made these exactly as written. I have to say they were not my favotite. Very dense and a bit dry. Back to the search for a great blueberry muffin recipe.
C.F.
Used only 1/2 cup of sugar and added lemon zest – perfect!
Phyllis Williams
Thick, dry, bland muffins with a lot of groceries employed. Save those 5 eggs for another recipe. Not worth the trouble.
PO
Worst blueberry muffins I've ever made. Threw them all out. I am an experienced baker and these muffins came out heavy and flavorless. Don't make these, make the Jordan Marsh's recipe instead. Add some lemon zest and cinnamon to that recipe and you will be happy.
a
Less sugar3/4 c white, 1/4c brownDon’t mash berriesLemon zest, orange zest1 tsp vanilla European butter
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