Blackberry Muffins

Blackberry Muffins are an easy and scrumptious treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. These bakery-quality muffins are filled with jammy berries and orange zest and topped with sparkling sugar!

You know how last year I got on a creme brulee kick and ended up publishing just about all of the creme brulee flavors I could think of? I think this year, my thing might be muffins.

My buttermilk blueberry muffins that I shared earlier this year are one of my favorite recipes of all time. My cranberry sauce muffins have been around for quite a few years, and are always very popular after Thanksgiving.

All of this is putting me in the mood to keep making and sharing more muffins. And sorry, shepherd’s pie muffins and my breakfast muffins recipe. I love you, but I really mean sweet muffins.

These blackberry muffins are simple and delicious, and are perfect for a lazy Sunday morning at home snuggled up with some bacon in the oven, or a busy weekday morning where you grab a salted caramel cream cold brew and a muffin and head out the door.

What kind of blackberries?

Fresh? Frozen? Wild? Conventional?

The great news here is that any type of blackberry you have on hand can be used for this blackberry muffin recipe!

If using fresh, be sure to wash the blackberries and pat them completely dry before stirring them into the batter.

If using frozen, no need to thaw! Just throw the frozen blackberries right in, and you’re all good. You can also use frozen blackberries in place of blueberries in my blueberry lemon smoothie!

If your berries are very large, cut them in half crosswise if possible (if they’re frozen, don’t worry about it).

Wild blackberries are perfect for muffins, because they are usually a little smaller than grocery store blackberries, so you don’t have to worry about cutting them.

No matter which kind you use for these blackberry muffins, be sure you fold the blackberries in by hand, with a rubber spatula.

You’ll want to use a stand or hand mixer to make the rest of the batter, but when you get to the addition of the berries, switch over to a spatula so that you don’t crush the berries.

Optional quick tip:

If you want to keep the color of the berries from bleeding into your muffin crumb, roll the blackberries in a small spoonful of flour before adding them to the batter.

This also keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins while baking. Honestly, I usually skip this step, but thought I would include it here for anybody who wants it.

These blackberry muffins are made with buttermilk.

While many blackberry muffin recipes include sour cream, this ones does not have sour cream. Instead, it relies on buttermilk to serve a similar purpose.

There’s just something magic about buttermilk. Not only is it the perfect tenderizer in buttermilk chicken marinade and buttermilk chicken tenders, but it shines in bake goods like Black Forest cupcakes, chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, and these muffins with blackberries as well.

Buttermilk serves two purposes in baked goods – flavor and function.

It has a nice tang to it, kind of like sour cream or yogurt. This satisfying tang pairs really well with rich, sugary baked goods.

And thanks to acidity from the lactic acid, buttermilk helps break down long strands of gluten in baked goods. What does this mean? A more tender final product when you make your blackberry muffins with buttermilk.

Have extra buttermilk after making muffins? Try my turkey burger salad that has a creamy homemade dressing made with buttermilk.

Two extracts are important for this blackberry muffin recipe.

Most blackberry muffin recipes only call for one type of extract, and it’s almost always vanilla. But I really encourage you to invest in a bottle of almond extract for your baking cabinet.

One bottle will last forever, and the signature flavor that almond extract adds to baked goods like this blackberry muffin recipe and lemon curd cake cannot be replicated any other way.

Almond extract is often used in wedding cakes, so adding almond extract to anything instantly makes me think of cake. Make your muffins with blackberries taste more like cake, with one little splash of extract!

I love a little orange zest in these muffins with blackberries.

While I always add a little lemon zest to blueberry muffins, I find that orange zest pairs even better with blackberries.

While you can certainly make muffins with blackberries and lemon zest, something about a pinch of fresh orange zest makes the blackberries really sing.

Try it once and you won’t be able to go back to blackberry muffins made without the zest! Orange lovers may also want to check out my orange ginger chicken and citrus salad dressing.

Finish your blackberry muffins with sparkling or demerara sugar for a bakery-style garnish.

My #1 trick for making homemade muffins look and taste more like the muffins from your favorite bakery or coffee shop is sprinkling the tops with sparkling or demerara sugar.

Demerara sugar is a very coarsely ground cane sugar with a light tan color. Because the crystals are so big, they don’t fully melt in the oven, which means that when you bite into your muffin, you’ll get a little crunch of sugar.

If you do purchase a box of demerara sugar for this blackberry muffin recipe, you can also use it to sweeten coffee, tea, and even make brandy old fashioneds with it.

I can also personally vouch for King Arthur Flour’s sparkling sugar (affiliate link), which is large sparkly grains of white sugar, and what I’ve used for these photos. It’s expensive, but one jar lasts me for several years.

Can I use a different type of berry?

Maybe you used all of your blackberries in a tequila mojito, but you still want to make muffins.

No worries. This base recipe can be used with any type of berry. I’ve tried this blackberry muffin recipe with strawberries, fresh cranberries, blueberries and raspberries, and all have turned out great.

The only change I make is that for strawberries, I will chop them into bite size pieces for baking.

And any of these berries are great additions to a yogurt parfait bar, too!

How long do blackberry muffins last?

Like my pear muffins, these muffins will keep for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container, at room temperature. Quick tip – if you have one on hand, add a piece of white bread to the container.

This will help prevent the muffins with blackberries from getting sticky and overly soft. But if not, no worries. Your muffins will still be just fine!