Copycat Junior's Blueberry Muffins

The best part of my New York trip was going on a sort of bakery scavenger hunt. I looked up a list of bakeries and we hunted them down. My dear boyfriend is so patient with me. We went to Amy's Bread, Sarabeth's Bakery, Magnolia, and Junior's Cheesecake among others. It was a foodie's dream come true. These muffins I baked for breakfast also serve as a souvenir of our trip. berries didn't end up all at the bottom like with so many other recipes. These were light and fluffy with moist insides and a crunchy top. Perfect.

Simply amazing when eaten warm (with butter if you are feeling decadent). Just like Junior's awesome cheesecakes, these blueberry muffins are definitely memorable. Hot OR cold. With mashed berries in the batter, strewn through the muffin AND sprinkled on top, these are definitely meant for blueberry lovers. What I loved best is that the

Note: The recipe calls for fresh, not frozen, blueberries, but I made this with thawed blueberries successfully. I also added a tablespoon of lemon zest and it really added to the flavor. Definitely use muffin liners to get them out easily. Greasing the pan just won't cut it for these moist muffins.

Junior's Cheesecake Copycat Blueberry Muffins
6 jumbo or 12 regular | adapted from Junior's Cookbook

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (optional, my addition)
2 extra large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups fresh blueberries (not frozen)
1/2 cup milk

1. Divide berries into three different batches: 2/3 cup portion for mashing, then divide the remaining berries into two equal portions- one portion for folding into the batter, and the remainder for dropping on top.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 6 jumbo muffins tins or 12 regular size muffin tins well.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Continue to beat until creamy and light yellow. Mix in vanilla and mashed berries until well combined. Lower speed to medium. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk in three portions each. Beat batter until just combined, about 1 more minute.

5. Gently fold in one of the portions of whole berries. Fill muffing tins almost all the way full. Drop the remaining portion of whole berries individually atop the muffin batter.

6. Bake about 10 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 375 degrees F and continue baking until golden brown and set in the center, about 15 minutes.