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–+ servings

Sourdough Blackberry Muffins

Moist, easy to make, and topped with sparkling sugar. A sweet snack or breakfast made with your trusty sourddough starter
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Total Time:35 minutes

Ingredients

Muffin Batter

  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or substitute with melted unsalted butter)
  • 1 egg
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons milk (2% or whole)
  • ½ cup sourdough starter
  • 1¼ cup blackberries (halved if large)

Topping

  • Coarse sparkling sugar for topping

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and position the oven rack in the center. Then, line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
    A bowl of dry ingredients for muffins, including flour and sugar, with fresh blackberries and a fabric napkin on the side, ready for mixing.
  • Add wet ingredients. Add the vegetable oil (or melted butter), milk, egg, and sourdough starter to the dry ingredients. Then, stir gently until just combined. The batter should be thick and smooth, but be careful not to overmix, as this can make the muffins dense.
    The muffin batter after mixing wet and dry ingredients, showing a smooth and creamy consistency in a ceramic bowl.
  • Add the blackberries. With a spatula, carefully mix the blackberries into the batter without smashing them. This helps spread the berries evenly in the batter.
    Fresh blackberries folded into the sourdough muffin batter, with a wooden spoon for mixing, highlighting the berries' distribution in the mixture.
  • Assemble. Fill each muffin cup about ⅔ full with batter. Then, sprinkle the top of each muffin with a generous amount of coarse sparkling sugar.
    Muffin tin lined with paper cups, each filled with blackberry sourdough batter, ready to be baked, with a hand sprinkling sugar on top for crunch.
  • Bake. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-23 minutes. Rotate the tin halfway through baking to make sure even cooking. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The tops should be golden and slightly firm to the touch.
    Freshly baked sourdough blackberry muffins cooling on a wire rack, showcasing a golden-brown top with sparkling sugar.
  • Cool and serve. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Fresh, ripe blackberries will make your muffins taste great and have a nice texture.  But if you have frozen berries, don’t let them thaw before mixing them.  This keeps them from making the muffins wet and soggy.
If your blackberries are big, cut them in half to spread out evenly in the muffins and not just sink to the bottom.  You can put smaller berries in whole.  Just use your judgment depending on the size of your berries.
Before you start, let your egg, milk, and sourdough starter warm to room temperature.  This will help everything mix together better and help the muffins bake evenly.
For a delicious taste, use an active sourdough starter full of bubbles.  If it’s been in the fridge for a while, feed it a few hours before you bake to wake it up.
Check on the muffins after they’ve been in the oven for about 18 minutes because ovens can heat differently.  Stick a toothpick in to see if they’re done.  They’re ready if the toothpick has a few crumbs but isn’t wet.  If not, bake a little longer.  Just make sure not to overcook them, or they’ll get too dry.
This same recipe can also be used to make bigger jumbo muffins.  Just use a bigger muffin tin that fits six of them and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Instead of using coarse, sparkly sugar on top for crunch, you can try different toppings, like sliced almonds or a simple sugar icing, for a new flavor.
Adding a bit of zest, like from a lemon or an orange, can make the flavors pop.  Throwing in a little cinnamon or nutmeg can add a nice, warm spice that goes well with the berries.
Eating them straight out of the oven might be tempting, but if you wait 5-10 minutes for them to cool down, they’ll hold together better and be easier to remove from the tin without breaking.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 58IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 173kcal
Author: Katie