Very Blueberry Muffins

Maggie has posted two versions of blueberry muffins but these muffins I'm sharing with you today are not your standard blueberry muffins.  They are very "blueberry-y" and are made in a way I had never heard of until I discovered this recipe in Cooks Illustrated...and they're so summery and perfect!!

To put it simply, half of the blueberries in this recipe are cooked down to make a "jam" while the other half are left as fresh blueberries.  The fresh blueberries are folded into the batter just like any other recipe would call for, but the "jam" is then swirled into the batter to make them amaaazing!!!

These would make for a festive breakfast to serve to guests this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July.  Enjoy!


Very Blueberry Muffins
Source: adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients
Muffins:
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/8 cups sugar plus 1 teaspoon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Streusel Topping: 
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, chilled 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 F with a rack in the upper third.  Spray your muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine 1 cup of the blueberries along with 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, mashing the berries with a spoon and stirring frequently.  Continue cooking until the berries break down and the mixture has a thick jam-like consistency; the volume should be reduced to about 1/4 cup.  Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.  In another large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 1/8 cups of sugar and the eggs together until pale yellow and thick.  Whisk in the butter and oil until combined.  Add the buttermilk and vanilla and whisk to incorporate fully.  Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture along with the remaining 1 cup of blueberries.  Use a rubber spatula to gently fold until the dry ingredients are just moistened - the batter will be lumpy, that's fine.  Don't overmix. 

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared wells of the muffin pan - each well should be completely full.  Add one teaspoon of the blueberry jam to the center of each well of batter.  Use a skewer to gently swirl the jam into the batter. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping over unbaked muffins. 

Bake for 17-19 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden and they spring back when gently pressed.  Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely.