By Marian Burros
Updated Nov. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- 40 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes' cooling
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(17,414)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In 1985, The Times published a recipe for the blueberry muffins served at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Boston, which Marian Burros, who adapted the recipe, judged among her favorite muffins in the city. A few years later, a reader wrote Marian to say that the best blueberry muffins in Boston were in fact from the now-closed Jordan Marsh department store. Marian tracked down and adapted that recipe so you can judge for yourself. But the origins of the Jordan Marsh recipe were unclear until 2023, when Mara Richmond of Burlington, Vt., wrote The Times to say that the developer of the recipe was her father, Arnold Gitlin, then the executive food consultant for Allied Stores, which owned Jordan Marsh at the time. His recipe, Richmond said, was an adaptation from one in Esther Howland’s 1847 cookbook, “The New England Economical Housekeeper, and Family Receipt Book.” Everything old is new again. This version has a lot more sugar and butter and fewer eggs than the Ritz-Carlton muffins. It also calls for mashing a half cup of berries and adding them to the batter. This produces a very moist muffin, one that will stay fresh longer.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 muffins
- ½cup softened butter
- 1¼cups sugar
- 2eggs
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2cups flour
- ½teaspoon salt
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ½cup milk
- 2cups blueberries, washed, drained and picked over
- 3teaspoons sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
260 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 174 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Preheat the oven to 375.
Step
2
Cream the butter and sugar until light.
Step
3
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
Step
4
Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.
Step
5
Crush ½ cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. Fold in the remaining whole berries.
Step
6
Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill with batter. Sprinkle the 3 teaspoons sugar over the tops of the muffins, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.
Step
7
Remove muffins from tin and cool at least 30 minutes. Store, uncovered, or the muffins will be too moist the second day, if they last that long.
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
John Frank
Toss the berries in flour before adding, to keep them from sinking to the base of the muffin.
Deborah
The original John Pupek recipe, which I have used for years, calls for 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 tsp.salt, and he includes 1 tsp. vanilla as well. I don't know why the recipe above makes the salt optional. Salt is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer, and if it is left out of baked goods, the final product will not taste right.
Heidi
I would recommend adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and, MOST important, a tablespoon of lemon zest (thanks to Mark Bittman). Also I would use much less sugar -- I find that half a cup is enough, or three-quarters tops.
Lucas
I made a half batch (~8 muffins) and they were gone within six hours.I live alone.Despite my substitution of GF flour and a few mistakes, these are hands down the best blueberry muffins I've ever made.
marianne
I make these regularly at the inn where I am the cook. Some adjustments that really work (some echo others here): european butter, buttermilk instead of milk, reduce sugar to taste, add one teaspoon vanilla, (sometimes i add lemon zest), wild maine frozen blueberries instead of fresh, and sprinkle with brown or turbinado sugar before baking. Foolproof recipe.
Joe Schlabotnik
From Sam Sifton on the site newsletter: to help keep your blueberries from sinking to the bottom, "John Pupek, [Jordon Marsh's] head baker, long retired, told WCVB's Maria Stephanos to toss the berries in flour before adding them to the batter. The coating helps suspend them better during cooking so you don't get as much sinkage."
Diane Strauss
To create muffins that rival the originals, cover the tops with a full teaspoon or more of sugar before baking. This produces the crispy tops that some of us remember from Jordan's. You can watch the original baker in this video: http://www.wcvb.com/news/legendary-boston-baker-shares-recipe-techniques...
Roni Jordan
How bizarre to see this today since I just used the original Jordan Marsh recipe to make 4 jumbo-sized mega muffins yesterday. The differences? No liners used, muffin tins buttered inside and on the perimiter of the wells, 1/2 cup more blueberries; 1/4 cup less sugar in the batter. For mega-muffins, baked at 350 for 40 minutes. They're outstanding!
Barak
I almost wept with joy when a friend walked into my house and said, "I baked blueberry muffins--the Jordan Marsh recipe." I grew up with those, and even though she cut back on the sugar and didn't sprinkle sugar on the top, they were incredible (and she promised to follow the recipe exactly the next time!). I don't know what this nonsense about Ritz-Carlton muffins is all about. Never heard of those. Tea at the Ritz. Muffins from Jordan Marsh. Everyone knows that.
cindy
I reduce sugar in everything by half, never miss it + fruit is sweet
nancy
take the flour to toss the blueberries from the 2 cups so as not to add extra flour to the recipe and leaden the final product.
re "optional" salt, i think it's because many home bakers use salted butter and therefore, the extra salt isn't necessary.
Lisa W
i made this recipe twice. once as written (with wild organic blueberries) and the second time i omitted the vanilla and added grated lemon peel from a medium lemon. the addition of lemon peel brought the recipe to life. it is so simple to make and this has become my go to blueberry recipe.
Chuckersnut
Cooking at 8,000 feet required the following mods: 1tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup milk, 3 additional tbsp flour, oven at 400F, reduced time to 25 minutes.
Amy
Like most others I made these and love the way they turned out! I also decreased the sugar to one cup, but may go to 3/4 cup next time. Unfortunately I didn't read the notes about making sure the unmashed berries be bone dry and coating them in flour, but they still turned out OK. One note I want to include for anyone who isn't a seasoned baker (because I just learned this in the last couple of years) is that in order to get the butter and sugar "light" you really need to beat it for 10 minutes.
cheryl
Substitute Buttermilk for the regular milk for moist flavorful muffins
Eric the Islander
I have just finished my 13th batch of these, no kidding, and it is just a perfect muffin recipe. I follow the recipe exactly except that I add lemon zest (about a teaspoon worth) and when putting the blueberries in don't use the mixer, but mix by hand. Old home-ec trick says my wife - never over stir the muffin dough. Jordan Marsh is a synonym for angel in our house.
Dina
Used a half a cup crushed fresh/frozen strawberries plus 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead of the blueberries & they were incredible!
Hazel
This is my go-to muffin recipe. I like to add in other berries when I have them like blackberries and strawberries. These mixed with the blueberries make it really unique and tasty.
Erika
Omg it’s so good with that Irish butter.
Ari97
Every time I make these people gush that they're the best blueberry muffins they've ever had. Only change I make to the recipe is adding a good amount of lemon zest. Delicious, moist muffins every time!
Liz
I would like to substitute chocolate chips for the blueberries. Would this work? Just hesitate since the blueberries must add moisture to the overall recipe.
Greta
Did anyone make this dairy-free? If so, what DF yogurt brand did you use? Thanks :)
mama s
I made them with 1 c wheat and 1 c all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup sugar, a whole bag of frozen blueberries dumped right in, and sprinkled turbandino sugar on top. So delicious. Much lighter than expected.
MaryS
1/2 c. sugar is enough for 1/2 recipe. Tried Sally’s Baking Addiction trick: first five minutes @ 425 to increase top, then 25 minutes at 375.
Elaine Rosner
I’m so glad I read the introduction. Arnold Gitlin is my husband’s uncle. This is indeed a small world! The muffins are in my oven as I write this.
LP
These slap. I did the one cup of sugar and used frozen bluebs, rolled in 2tbsp of flour taken from the 2C. I ran out of plain flour so I used a fairly equal mix of AP, wholemeal and cake flour. Best muffin I’ve made I reckon.
Beverley
I chose this blueberry muffin recipe because of the very high number of people rating the recipe as a 5. I agree without a doubt that this is the best blueberry muffin that I have ever had and I am in my 70's! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Katy
Really good! A few notes:-I substituted gluten free flour and it turned out phenomenal-Used frozen berries and tossed them in a bit of flour before adding to the batter-The muffin tins way overflowed. I think this could probably make closer to 16 muffins!This will be my go-to blueberry muffin recipe forever.
MC
These are *that* good & bring me back to childhood memories of my beloved mother’s homemade blueberry muffins that I’d slather with butter as soon as I could handle them. I too halved the sugar to ~2/3 cup bc the blueberries are sweet at the farmers market now. I followed the hint of coating some berries in flour as well. Froze some for later enjoyment. My husband was so excited to wake up to these on a weekend!
Barbara
I made what turned out to be my best ever banana bread by using this recipe and adding two mashed bananas plus walnuts. I made one loaf and used the remainder of the batter for muffins. The suggestions for bananas and nuts came from these notes (I also used less sugar) so, thank you to people who take the time to share tips.
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