Easy Homemade Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry muffins are the perfect addition to your weekend or holiday brunch, and they make a wonderful breakfast all on their own. You can make them with fresh or frozen blueberries, but if you use frozen ones, make sure you drain them well.

A quick note about baking powder. People often ask why their muffins or other baked items don't rise as they expected, and the number-one reason is that they're using old baking powder. Baking powder loses most of its effectiveness after about six months, so if you've had yours in the pantry longer than that, do yourself a favor and replace it. The fresh stuff will really make a big difference in your muffins and cakes.

For a lighter muffin, you can use 260 grams of pastry or cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Or you could use a half all-purpose and half pastry or cake flour, so long as the total adds up to 260 grams. You can also substitute 3 tablespoons of oil for the butter if that's too rich for your taste. They'll be moister, but not as buttery.

Then again, you can always split the warm muffins open and slather them with butter. And if you want to add another layer of flavor to the muffins, this easy cinnamon streusel topping might be just the thing.