Classic Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins

Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!

My mother was an old-fashioned cook. She carried around a Betty Crocker cookbook, full of every kind of recipe from muffin to meatloaf. I couldn’t have been happier when, out of her three kids, I scored that prize.

While today I cook many “modern” dishes, sometimes you can’t beat the classics. This muffin is always a favorite with it’s flavorful blueberries and light sweetness. So I decided to update my 2011 post for today’s cookbook roundup! 

‘Cause everything old is new again! Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!

What Makes This a Winner

  • Great Classic Flavor – I don’t know what it is about older recipes but they always taste like comfort food to me. I’d say it’s nostalgia but my Gen Z daughter got wide-eyed and happy just like me, when I took these out of the oven!
  • Quick & Easy – This can be made in one bowl, and mixed and baked in just over a half hour!
  • No Special Ingredients – Except for the blueberries (which you can “stock” in your freezer), you’re likely to have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already.  No grocery runs for buttermilk or sour cream!

Step by Step Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and 1/2 cup milk.  Continue whisking and add the melted butter or oil. Mix wet ingredients

Add the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder to the same bowl, then gently stir the dry ingredients together.  When roughly combined, stir into the milk mixture.  Mixture should be thick (scoopable, not pourable) but if it is very dry, add some extra milk.   Mix dry ingredients

Gently stir in the blueberries. add blueberries

In a muffin pan that is greased, or lined with disposable muffin cup liners, divide the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. The highest point may reach to the top but because the batter is thick, they won’t fill in to to the sides until they cook (so they are effectively the usual 3/4 full). Fill muffin cups

Bake & enjoy warm or cool.  Bake

How to Serve

For an easy breakfast, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are lovely just served with a glass of milk. And if you are thinking of something more formal, like a special breakfast or brunch, serving up a basket of these muffins would add a touch of elegance.

Muffins can also make an nice side dish with lunch or dinner, especially if you are doing something festive like a baby or bridal shower. Or add them to an artisan bread basked for a formal dinner party.  Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!

Variations

Betty Crocker called the base recipe (sans blueberries) a sweet muffin and offered up a whole variety of options to consider. So feel free to shake things up according to your tastes.

Instead of blueberries, you could use other fruits or even chocolate chips. Now if you do use another fruit, pay attention to size and chop first if the fruit is large (e.g. strawberries). And even though fresh cranberries are small, I’d chop these to distribute the tartness.  Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!

How to Make this as a Sweet Bread

While I’ve never tried making this recipe as a bread, I switch up muffin recipes and sweet bread recipes all the time. Basically 12 muffins = 1 loaf, though oven temperature and cooking times change.

Since this recipe doesn’t produce towering muffins, I’d go with a 8 ½ x 4 ½ pan rather than 9 x 5 if you can. You should also lower the heat to 350 and cook for about 50-60 minutes. Be sure to carefully check for doneness with a toothpick and cook longer if needed, since sweet breads are harder to get reliably cooked through.

For more on this check out King Arthur’s tipsFruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!

Tips & FAQs

Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are pretty foolproof! That said I tend to mix them by hand. Overworking muffins can develop the gluten in the flour and make them a little tougher. And since you mix them so little, it’s even easier than cleaning a mixer!

The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour and you can use that if you prefer. I like to up the health value slightly by using half whole grain flour like white whole wheat flour.

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this. Try not to thaw first if using frozen or you may have blue muffins!  The original cookbook, all maarked up

Can I use a non-dairy milk?  I haven’t personally tried a non-dairy milk but I have successfully used every dairy milk from skim to whole. So I’m confident it non-dairy would work fine.

Can I substitute applesauce for the butter or oil? This is something I don’t recommend. ¼ cup of fat is really the minimum for a moist muffin that doesn’t stale almost immediately. Divided by 12 muffins, it’s only 1 teaspoon each, so it won’t break the calorie bank in any case. 

Can I freeze these?  Wrapped airtight, these muffins will freeze well. And while I try to bake the day of for a special event, I wouldn’t hesitate to bake the day before if need be. Any leftovers should last a few days if kept covered.  Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!

And for more fun check out these other tasty recipes!

National Cookbook Month

Classic Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins

Fruity with a hint of sweetness, Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins are great for brunch or snacking. Or an artisan bread basket with dinner!  
Author: Inger
4.72 from 7 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 138 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour may sub unbleached
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk plus up to an extra 2 Tablespoons if needed
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup butter melted, or oil
  • 1 cup blueberries or a bit more

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 F
  • Beat egg with a whisk, then combine with 1/2 cup milk. While whisking, add melted butter or oil to egg/milk mixture
  • In the same bowl, gently mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together.
  • Combine wet and dry ingredients and add additional milk if needed (mixture should be thick but not dry).
  • Gently fold in the blueberries.
  • Divide evenly between 12 muffin cups.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are a rich gold color and an toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 111mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 161IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

37 thoughts on “Classic Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins

  1. Claudia

    5 stars
    It was my first time making these muffins today – I had a craving for blueberry muffins and decided to make them for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day too.

    I used half the amount of sugar and made sure to bake them for 20 minutes and then use the grill above for the last 5 minutes and they came out incredibly. Will definitely be using this again – thank you so much for sharing!

  2. CJP

    I’ve had the Betty Crocker cookbook for eons. I make the BC muffins with one tsp vanilla added to the batter.
    I make 6 large muffins. Have to bake them a bit longer as the 6 large muffins just take longer to bake.
    This is the only recipe I use.

  3. Emily

    3 stars
    The recipe only made 9 muffins if you fill the cups almost to the top. And they came out dense like cornbread. Any suggestions to fix this? I followed the recipe exactly and only mixed enough to combine the batter.

    1. Inger Post author

      This muffin isn’t super light and airy so you may not be as far off as you think. Even the full white flour version is denser than the “wonder bread” light muffins that some recipes deliver. Personally I prefer a slightly denser muffin (with the lovely top caramelization that this facilitates), rather than a very airy muffin. But see below for some potential problems.

      First, the instructions say to divide among 12 muffin cups so if you pressed the batter into 9 cups and filled them densely to the top (rather than leaving them fluffy with gaps as suggested and shown in the process picture) that is likely part of the problem.

      Then I’d have to ask if you scooped the flour or fluffed, spooned and leveled–which is the standard for measuring flour. I think this baking skill is under-taught today and my daughter surprised me by not knowing it after taking a couple cooking classes in school. So this may, or may not, be a contributor.

      This recipe is not an original of mine but is a classic that has been made successfully at least since the 1950s when the cookbook dates from (with many editions before and after). So I’m confident the recipe itself is sound. Since my version subs in some wheat flour it will be just slightly denser (and healthier) than the original–but it’s quite close (having eaten the all white version my whole childhood)!

      So if you’d like to try again, give my suggestions a go. You can also use 100% white flour (instead of part whole wheat) if you want. Then taste it with the idea that it might not be the muffin that’s in your imagination, but a lovely muffin nonetheless. If you do, I’d love to hear how that goes.

  4. Chris

    5 stars
    So very happy to find this recipe online– went on vacation and doubted my memory….
    I too have had my own Betty Crocker since 1970’s, but did not get the real deal (this older edition) until 2020 when I was the only sib who wanted it. The old one has many baked goods from my childhood, which are not included in my own edition.

  5. Judy

    These were easy to make and were very tasty. I used more blueberries than mention. It’s a keeper

  6. Carol

    5 stars
    Betty Crocker‘s recipes are awesome. If you find an old book you must keep it. I’ve had mine since the early 70s and still refer to the web and I can’t find something I’m looking for. This recipe turned out perfect. I added crumbles to the top for extra sweetness.

    1. Inger Post author

      And then there are the photocopied church cookbooks–but the recipes were always good 🙂

  7. Lisa Kerhin

    I forgot all about the Betty Crocker muffin recipe! I used to make this same recipe many years ago. Time to do so again, and I love the changes you made.

  8. Jolene

    What a treasure! I have a different version but it’s definitely a go-to resource full of family favorites. Love all the tips you give along with the recipe!

  9. David Scott Allen

    Definitely a classic! My mother used to make them probably from a similar edition! I one made them with thawed berries — they didn’t turn blue, they turned gray!

    1. Inger Post author

      I think that cookbook was a popular wedding gift back in the day! My berries were getting soft (those darn process shots), so I guess I just missed gray muffins!

  10. Jeanette G

    Thank you so much it was kind of you to stop by. I also would like to thank you for posting this recipe my family really enjoyed it. I look forward to stopping by again.

  11. Pingback: Healthier Blueberry Muffins | North Carolina Food Photographer & Blogger | Jeanette Gruszczynski | The FOOD Blog

  12. Louise

    Oh I LOVE your blog, Inger! I no longer have a copy of that book. Would you believe I had a brand new original still in perfect condition that someone saved and never used? I donated it to a library.

    There are so many recipes I would love to redo I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I only wish I had the time. Doesn’t much matter I guess, I rarely “really” cook or bake anymore:(

    Thank you so much for these valuable tips and for updating Betty’s recipe. I do adore home made blueberry muffins…

    1. Inger Wilkerson

      I absolutely thought of you when I took the pictures of the old cookbook! I am sure the library appreciated your donation–I use our library for so many reference books. If you ever want me to copy something in there, just let me know.

  13. yummychunklet

    Hmm, I’ve never thought about messing around with a childhood recipe. I’m always thinking it would result in a different taste that wouldn’t be as authentic. I’ll have to give it a try sometime though!

    1. Inger Wilkerson

      Sometimes you can mess with them without too much problem–and then you can avoid the guilt. Now for my grandma’s homemade egg noodles, boiled in really fatty chicken broth–there really is no substitute, although I do use organic chicken fat now 😉

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