I have a slight obsession with Bloomingdale’s Forty Carrots frozen yogurt, so I’m all ears when it comes to cult-favorite department-store treats. You can imagine my excitement, then, when in my search for the most popular blueberry muffin recipes I discovered a lot of interest around Jordan Marsh’s blueberry muffins.
Previously unfamiliar with Jordan Marsh, I have since learned that it was a Boston-based department store in business from the 1860s to the 1990s. The flagship store contained a bakery, where the bronzed blueberry muffins gained immense popularity. (You can read more about the history of these muffins here.)
Intrigued as to what exactly made these muffins so well-loved, I couldn’t wait to get them into the oven. Here’s what I thought when I took my first bite.
Get the recipe: Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins
How to Make Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins
Although you do have to pull out an electric mixer for this recipe, the ingredients and steps themselves are very simple. You’ll cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in two eggs until combined. In a separate bowl, you’ll whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, then add that to the mixer along with milk and vanilla.
Now, here’s where the magic happens: You’ll take 1/2 cup of blueberries and mash them with a fork until they burst, then stir them into the batter along with 2 cups whole blueberries. Not only does this tint the batter a very pretty shade of purpley-blue, but it also enhances the batter with blueberry flavor.
After scooping the batter into the muffin tin, you’ll sprinkle the tops with sugar before baking until golden.
My Honest Review of Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins
After taking one bite of this muffin, I understood why they were the perfect shopping sustenance. They’re fluffy yet moist, with a slightly crunchy sugar-y muffin top, and blueberry flavor through and through. Out of all the muffins I baked, they were the prettiest when split open, thanks to the mashed blueberries stirred into the batter.
I recently learned that these are Kitchn Assistant Food Editor Sheela’s all-time favorite muffins. “To me, there’s no other recipe for homemade blueberry muffins,” she tells me. “I grew up with the real deal from the department store, and long after they closed all my family and friends continued to make them. Their trick of mashing some of the blueberries before folding them into the batter results in every single crumb bursting with berry flavor, which is just how summer should taste.”
I had just two small qualms with these muffins. The first is that the recipe itself is a bit vague and all over the place, making it a bit tricky to follow (more on that below). And the second is that it does require an electric mixer and dirties multiple dishes.
If You Make Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins, a FewTips
1. Start with the right ingredients. The recipe doesn’t specify this, but you’ll want to start with room-temperature unsalted butter so that it can easily cream with the sugar. Also, use all-purpose flour and whole milk. In terms of sugar, you’ll want to use granulated sugar in the batter and either granulated or turbinado for sprinkling on top.
2. Don’t skip the mashing step. This recipe says it’s optional, but it’s the trick that makes these muffins stand out. In fact, next time I would consider mashing a full 1 cup instead of just 1/2 cup.
3. Use paper liners. There’s a note about this in the recipe itself, but you’ll definitely want to opt for paper liners for this recipe. There are so many blueberries that, without liners, they run the risk of burning and sticking to the pan.
Overall rating: 9/10
These were incredibly tasty, but because Smitten Kitchen’s were easier to make, they ultimately beat these in the battle.
Get the recipe: Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins
Have you ever made Jordan Marsh’s Blueberry Muffins? Tell us what you thought!
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