Golden Crunch Corn Meal Blueberry Raspberry Muffins
We love making these muffins in batches to pack in our lunch bags for a pick me up snack during our work day and school breaks, it’s a muffin that eats like cornbread, pops with juicy berries, and still feels light enough to keep us going without feeling sluggish. The texture is lightly gritty with pockets of blueberry and raspberry.
These aren’t your standard fluffy cupcakes, they’re hearty and fruity fragrant.
The Secret Behind This Recipe
Our secret to making this is the cornmeal to flour ratio.
Too much cornmeal, and it becomes to crumbly, too little, and you lose the special crunch. This version balances fine yellow cornmeal with all purpose flour, giving height, tenderness, and the golden edge that makes it so unique. Another helpful tip is to coat the berries in flour so they don’t sink and dye your batter purple.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, or light olive)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
- 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
- 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (for tossing berries)
- Coarse sugar for topping (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Prep the stage: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or lightly grease. This higher temp gives a quick lift and great browning.
- Dry mix: In a large bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. No clumps, no drama.
- Wet mix: In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, oil, vanilla, and lemon zest. The butter should be warm, not hot, so it doesn’t scramble the eggs.
- Berries: In a small bowl, toss blueberries and raspberries with 1 tablespoon flour. This prevents sinking and keeps color streaks minimal.
- Combine swiftly: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir with a spatula just until you no longer see dry pockets.
- Fold berries: Gently fold in the floured berries. Don’t mash them. You want pockets of fruit.
- Portion: Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar for a bakery style crunch.
- Bake: Bake for 16–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway if your oven has hot spots. They’re done when the tops are golden and a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
How to Store
- Room temp: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Slip a paper towel inside to absorb moisture and preserve the crumb.
- Fridge: Up to 5 days, but they’ll firm up. Rewarm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5–7 minutes to bring it’s freshness back.
- Freeze: Wrap individually and freeze up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 325°F (165°C) for 10–12 minutes.
Benefits of This Recipe
- Texture win: The cornmeal gives a satisfying bite without the dryness of traditional cornbread.
- Balanced sweetness: Not cloying. Perfect for breakfast or a mid afternoon snack.
- Moist and tender: The butter, oil combo plus buttermilk keeps muffins soft for days.
- Healthy Fruit: Blueberries and raspberries are full of vital nutrients.
What Not to Do
- Don’t overmix: This is not cake batter. Stir only until combined or you’ll get dense, tunnel-y muffins. No thanks.
- Don’t skip the flour toss: Unfloured berries sink and bleed.
- Don’t use coarse cornmeal: It bakes up gritty and tough. Go with fine or medium fine for the best texture.
- Don’t overbake: Remove from oven when tops spring back and edges are golden.
- Don’t add frozen berries straight from the freezer: Thaw and pat dry, or they’ll chill the batter and mess with bake time.
Mix It Up
- Citrus twist: Swap lemon zest for orange, and add 1/2 tsp cardamom.
- Nutty crunch: Fold in 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans.
- Maple moment: Replace 1/4 cup sugar with pure maple syrup and reduce buttermilk by 2 tbsp.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and fine cornmeal.
- Lemon glaze: Whisk 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1–2 tbsp lemon juice and drizzle over cooled muffins.
- Savory Version: Reduce sugar to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup corn kernels plus a pinch of black pepper.
Things to Consider
Can I use frozen berries?
Yes, but thaw them first and pat very dry. Toss with flour as directed to prevent sinking and color bleed.
No buttermilk?
Make a quick substitute: 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir and let sit 5 minutes until lightly thickened.
Why mix butter and oil?
Butter brings flavor; oil delivers moisture even after cooling. Together they create muffins that taste rich and stay soft.
Can I make these dairy free?
Use a plant based milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and swap butter for more neutral oil or melted dairy free butter.
Flavor will shift slightly but still hits.
How do I get taller muffin tops?
Start at 400°F, fill cups 3/4 full, and avoid overmixing. You can also rest the batter 10 minutes before baking to hydrate the cornmeal for a higher rise.
Can I cut the sugar?
Reduce to 1/2 cup if you prefer less sweet. The muffins will be more breakfast friendly and the berries will be the main focus.
What if I only have medium or coarse cornmeal?
Pulse it in a food processor to fine texture. Coarse granules make the crumb tough, processing is the easy fix.
A Muffin the entire family can come together to make.
Our Corn Meal Blueberry Raspberry Muffins is the perfect family kitchen project, each member of the family can focus on one task, eg one prepare the muffin pan, one the fruit etc. Kids will remember these priceless memories and hopefully in turn pass on the recipe to their own kids when they have a family themselves. Our muffins hits the sweet spot, they’re hearty yet tender, fruity without being sticky and so simple to make and if you love these we’re sure you will enjoy our Matcha Cupcakes. Have fun baking and be sure to enjoy with your favorite cup of tea!
