The Secret to These Rich, Tender Blackberry Muffins? Sour Cream. (2024)

Brunch
Muffins
Blackberry

Bake a batch of the rich, tender, delicious blackberry muffins!

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated April 14, 2024

72 ratings

The Secret to the Best Blackberry Muffins

If your guess is it has something to do with the type of berries, you're close. Wild blackberries do make the best pies, muffins, and cakes. But you can only get those a couple months of the year.

No, the secret to making the best muffins is sour cream! Rich and tangy sour cream not only intensifies the flavor of the berries, but makes the muffins irresistibly tender and delicious.

This blackberry muffin recipe is one of my favorite recipes on the site. Easy to put together and perfect for breakfast or a Sunday brunch.

The Secret to These Rich, Tender Blackberry Muffins? Sour Cream. (4)

How To Make These Muffins Ahead

For fresh, warm muffins first thing in the morning, mix up the batter the night before. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours, then proceed with the recipe as written. You may need to add a minute to the bake time since the batter will be cold.

Blackberry Muffin Recipe Variations

If you don't have sour cream, plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt make good substitutions.
You can swap up to half of the flour for whole wheat flour; white whole wheat flour works especially well. Or replace the flour with your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend.
For a crunchy top with a bit of sparkle, sprinkle the muffins with sugar before baking.
Add the zest of a lemon to the batter for a little citrus flavor and aroma.
You can swap the blackberries for raspberries, blueberries, or another berry of your choice.

For Success, Measure With Care

For light and tender muffins, measure the flour properly and don't over-mix. The batter will be very thick, similar to a moist cookie or bread dough. Don't panic — it's supposed to be this way, and will yield moist, fluffy muffins.

How to Accurately Measure Ingredients for BakingREAD MORE:

More Muffin Recipes to Bake With Love

Blueberry Muffins
Banana Nut Muffins
Orange-Spiced Whole Wheat Muffins
Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Blackberry Muffins

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Servings16to 18 muffins

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup(236ml) sour cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 112g) warm melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon milkor water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (300g) fresh blackberries, halved

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Grease 2 standard muffin pans or line with paper muffin cups (this recipe yields 16 to 18 standard-size muffins).
Combine the dry ingredients:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Combine the sugar and wet ingredients:
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, sour cream, butter, milk, and vanilla.
Mix the batter and add the berries:
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and mix together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be very thick, more like a moist dough than a batter.
Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid and coat them lightly in flour.)
Tip:
The batter is not batter-like, but more like a dough. Do not over-mix! Over-mixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. It should not be smooth, but rather lumpy.
Divide the batter and bake:
Divide the dough evenly among the muffin cups, filling each no more than 3/4 full. Bake at 400°F (200°C) until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes.
Cool and serve:
Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.
Serve as soon as possible, preferably within a few hours of baking. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month. Reheating them slightly in a toaster oven or microwave restores their fluffiness a bit.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
192	Calories
8g	Fat
27g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16to 18
Amount per serving
Calories	192
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 5g	23%
Cholesterol 41mg	14%
Sodium 188mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 27g	10%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg	17%
Calcium 70mg	5%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 70mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.