It’s blueberry season! My favorite berry is probably the blueberry. It is great just as is, or on cereal, or in yogurt, but it is also a wonderful ingredient to use in baking recipes like my blueberry buckle recipe and blueberry muffins.
When I was little I am not sure that I really appreciated blueberries on their own, but I loved blueberry muffins. The ideal blueberry muffin for me then was the Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin. Jordan Marsh was a department store that started in downtown Boston, grew to be a national chain, and then was bought out by Macy’s. The highlight of a trip to Jordan Marsh was a trip to its bakery for one of their famous blueberry muffins. (I also loved watching the machine that tied the string around the bakery box.) The blueberry muffins were buttery, tender, filled with blueberries, and topped with a sugary crust. My Mom baked a version of them at home that soon became a summer favorite.
Over time, our family’s blueberry muffin recipe shifted. We began to take summer trips to Nantucket, specifically to a little village called Siasconset (or ‘Sconset to the natives). At least one morning per trip, my Mom would walk up to the little center and buy us warm blueberry muffins. When we found the local restaurant’s cookbook, A Kitchen Collection: Sconset Cafe, a Village Cafe on Nantucket Island by Pamela A McKinstry, featured the blueberry muffin recipe, Mom made sure to buy the book. From then on, Mom started using this muffin recipe in the blueberry season. For me, this has now become my go-to blueberry muffin recipe, but I make sure to keep the sugary top of the Jordan Marsh muffin. It is truly a taste of summer.

Sconset Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ c all-purpose flour 3 cups for batter, ¼ cup to sprinkle over blueberries
- 1 ½ c sugar plus extra for tops of muffins
- 1 t salt
- 4 t baking powder
- 1 t baking soda
- 1 T lemon rind grated (about one small lemon)
- 2 eggs
- 2 c buttermilk
- ½ c canola or vegetable oil
- 1 c blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Lightly spray the tops of the muffin tins and then line 16 cups with paper liners (or grease the whole pan).
- Whisk flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and soda together in a large bowl. Add lemon rind and whisk again.
- Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and oil together.
- Toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour just to coat.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir very gently until just barely combined.
- Gently fold in blueberries. (Be sure not to overmix as this will affect the texture of the muffin.)
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cups.
- Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with additional sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. The edges and tops will be lightly browned.
- Cool muffins for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the top and sides of the muffins and remove from pan. Allow muffins to finish cooling on a rack or serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Adapted, just barely, from the now out-of print, A Kitchen Collection: Sconset Cafe, a Village Cafe on Nantucket Island by Pamela A McKinstry.
Beyond Blueberry Muffins
Please join us on our Berries! Pinterest board and muffins and scones board for other great recipes featuring strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and more! Also, check out some of our other blog posts featuring blueberry recipes.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.