Yes, yes, it’s January and we all know what means. Resolutions, clean eating, green juices, early morning workouts, stop skipping breakfast, get 10k steps a day, go to sleep at a reasonable hour, less screen time, eat more fiber, floss more, yadda yadda. But hear read more
Green papaya slaw is one of those dishes that somehow manages to be light, creamy, crunchy, and deeply satisfying all at once. Inspired by the bright, crunchy papaya salads you’ll find across Southeast Asia, this version leans creamy thanks to a coconut milk–based dressing. If read more
The mountains of end of season blueberries have been calling my name at the grocery store and I’m trying to gobble them down as quickly as possible. And what better way to answer than to make blueberry muffins? I wanted the perfect recipe — tender but not too cakey, buttery with a light crumb, and absolutely loaded with blueberries. Not so sweet that it could be mistaken for a cupcake, but sweet enough so that it felt special and indulgent.
So, there may have been… several rounds of “research” blueberry muffins in our kitchen before I finally landed on this version. (Let’s just say no one in this house was complaining.) The secret turned out to be a blend of butter and oil for flavor and moisture, buttermilk for tenderness, and a high-heat start so they bake up with bakery-style crowns for those that think a glorious muffin top is the best part. And that’s most of us, right?
Make them for brunch, school lunches, picnics, or just because it’s Tuesday and blueberry season, like summer, will soon be done. Once you try them, you’ll understand why I finally stopped tweaking — they’re perfect just as they are so let’s get into it.
I admit that I’m really picky about blueberry muffins because they are ubiquitous. Every bakery has one, grocery stores have them, and the web has a ton of recipes. But it’s hard to find one that has soft and not dense structure, because that’s how you get the firm very tall shape, which is amazing. But generally they are also kind of dry, especially the second day. Plus, you want the batter to be fragrant and delicious, not just overly sweet crumb that binds the berries. And let’s make sure we have a ton of berries. Am I right? That’s the whole point! Finally, a crackly top never hurts, it’s literally the icing on the top. Just know that the crackly top is less crispy, the second and third day-if they last that long.
So my wish is that everything about a mediocre blueberry muffin has been addressed and you will be free of bad blueberry muffins for life.
I start making my blueberry muffins by whisking together the dry ingredients. I always measure my flour by weight rather than volume — it’s the easiest way to get consistent results every time. If I can use my experience to help anyone who struggles with baking, the scale is your friend, it never lies. And for people who do not bake often, you need some experience and repetition to develop a sense of how the batter for cake should look or is the dough too dry or wet? A scale will give you the confidence to start baking like a pro. It’s really life changing-at least in the kitchen.
A cup of flour can vary by as much as 30% depending on how it’s scooped, which can make your muffins dense or dry. For this recipe, 2 cups of flour = 9 ounces on the scale, so you can measure it quickly and know you’ve nailed it. (No kitchen scale? No problem! Just use the scoop and level method: gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup without packing it down, then level it off with the back of a knife. This helps keep your flour measurement more accurate—key for tender muffins every time.)
Add the sugar to the flour:
Add the baking powder and baking soda:
Give it all a good whisk:
Once the dry ingredients are whisked together, it’s time to mix the wet ones. In a separate bowl add the melted butter to the eggs:
Pour in the oil:
Add the buttermilk. (If you don’t have buttermilk see my note below on how to substitute)
Add the vanilla. And yes it’s pricey, but nothing beats a real vanilla extract.
Whisk the wet ingredients together:
Now it’s time to combine the wet and dry ingredients for the blueberry muffins batter:
Gently mix until just combined, you don’t want to overmix.
It’s ok if small lumps or streaks of flour remain:
Then it’s time for the part we’ve all been waiting for- the blueberries! Add the star of the show, reserving some to top the blueberry muffins:
Then add the lemon zest:
Gently stir:
Now all that’s left to do is portion out the batter and bake the most glorious blueberry muffins of all time!
Top the muffins with the reserved blueberries:
Now the recipe says that topping the muffins with sugar is “optional”. I hope you realize though that it’s actually not optional at all-that bakery style crackly lid is the very best part!
Now they are ready to bake. You’ll start them off hot so they rise high, then finish low and slow for a perfectly baked interior.
Let them cool for 10 minutes, if you can wait that long, and then take them out of the pan.
I can’t wait for you to bake these up so you can experience Blueberry Muffin Nirvana too! Let me know what you think, and show off you muffins by tagging us @funkyasiankitchen.
Looking for more well-tested baking recipes? Check out my Lemon Pound Cake or Chocolate Zucchini Cake-they are sure to become favorites with your family too!
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DRY INGREDIENTS:
WET INGREDIENTS:
FILLINGS AND TOPPINGS:
Preheat oven to 425°F and move the oven rack to the middle.
Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners.
Make the Batter: First combine the dry ingredients by whisking the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Then in a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into the dry mixture. Mix gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Some small lumps or streaks of flour in the batter are fine. Try not to overmix.
Add blueberries (saving a small handful) and lemon zest and stir through gently.
Fill the muffin tin by dividing the batter evenly into the paper liners. Top with remaining blueberries and a sprinkling of sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F and continue baking for another 12-14 minutes until a toothpick test comes out clean or barely a couple of crumbs. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make some sour milk or use a substitute. For sour milk, combine 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk (do not use any other kind). Wait 10 minutes until it looks curdled. Continue using it as required in the recipe. You can also substitute plain yogurt or sour cream. Use ½ cup of either yogurt or sour cream and add ¼ cup of milk to thin it out a bit. Whisk together and it’s ready to use.
*You can substitute frozen blueberries for fresh. Use the frozen berries straight from the freezer (leave them in the freezer until the last minute) and do not defrost. The frozen berries have more moisture than fresh, so you will need to add a couple more minutes of cooking time.
Keywords: muffins, blueberries, summer, breakfast, snack, back to school
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I used to think my mom made this up. When I was little, she’d serve us bowls of strawberries and let us mash them up, drizzle in a little honey or a sprinkling of sugar, and pour cold milk over the whole thing. The strawberries would tint the milk this delicate, dreamy pink, and my sisters and I would eat it with a spoon straight from the bowl. For the longest time, I assumed it was just one of those quirky “Mom things”, probably a way to make sure we ate more fruit while getting some calcium.
But it turns out strawberries and milk—ichigo to miruku—is actually a classic snack in Japan. You’ll find more stylized versions of it in cafés and cookbooks and all over Japanese social media during strawberry season. Strawberries and milk is a popular flavor combination that shows up in candies, cakes, even sandwiches. But even though there are store-bought options and recipes that involve cooking the strawberries into a syrup, I still love my mom’s version best: just fresh berries, sweetened a bit, and mixed with milk.
It’s incredibly simple, endlessly customizable, and honestly the most perfect thing to make when it’s way too hot to cook. I use maple syrup now instead of sugar (my grown-up twist), and pour it over whatever milk I have in the fridge—dairy, oat, soy, you name it. To vegan or not vegan, it’s a choose your own adventure kind of thing. Strawberries and Milk is refreshing, nostalgic, and summer ready, so let’s get into it.
It makes sense that this little snack has such popularity in Japan, where strawberries are practically a cultural treasure. Some varieties are so valued they’re sold in gift boxes, each one carefully packed and nestled like a jewel.
They’re sweet, delicate, and celebrated during peak season—especially around early spring, when the most famous varieties are at their best. And so a recipe like this, which so few ingredients, really lets this prized fruit shine. I look for the best strawberries the season has to offer; this is the time to go to your favorite farmer’s market and pick out the most fragrant and ripe berries you can get your hands on.
The process is so embarrassingly easy, but sharing is caring, so here we go: I start by hulling my strawberries. You can use a little gadget like this huller to remove the stem and the white core underneath, leaving just the juicy and sweet berry. To be frank, I’m not a gadget girl but remembered seeing this tool in a drawer. I implore you not to buy this single purpose, not even very sharp or helpful tool. Instead, use a pairing knife and you’ll thank me.
Old school is definitely the best choice…
Then I put the strawberries into serving bowls.
Truly, this is the greatest snack or quick breakfast for parents. Kids have a great deal of energy in the morning, particularly boys like my nephews. They want to do something immediately. If you’re not a morning person like me, you’ll love the fact that mashing strawberries takes some work and gives kids an easy task. Mash it with big chunks left or let them spend some time, work off some energy, and go to town on those berries yielding a smoother paste. Make sure you use a large enough bowl if you have younger kids to contain any potential mess.
I like mine with big chunks ;)
Then it’s time to pick your sweetener. Growing up, my mom always used plain white sugar. As kids, we loved the sugary gritty milk at the bottom of the bowl that waited for us at the end- like an extra little treat. But these days I usually reach for maple syrup—it blends easily and adds a little extra depth. Honey is nice too. Really any sweetener that you have on hand is fine. Start by tasting your strawberries—if they’re super ripe and sweet, you might not need much at all. If they’re a little tart, a bit more sweetener will help coax out their flavor.
And just like with the sweetener, you can choose your own milk. Plant-based options like oat, almond, soy, even coconut all work beautifully here. Whether you use dairy or nondairy, you’ll end up with a Strawberry and Milk that’s berry delicious. Come on, I’m Gen X—of course I had to sneak in a Strawberry Shortcake reference somewhere!
And with that, your summery treat is ready to be enjoyed!
I hope this nostalgic snack brings you the same simple joy it has always brought me. Savoring seasonal treats is one way to bring a little dose of childlike happiness even in our adult doom-scrolling world… Take a few minutes to make this sweet treat and let me know what you think. And remember to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
And if you’re looking for more simple summer treats, check out my Strawberry Lychee Lemonade, Tropical Fruit Salad, or Avocado Smoothie.
Prepare the strawberries: Cut the stems off of the strawberries and place them into 2 bowls.
Serve the strawberries with the milk and sweetener on the side. Mash the strawberries with the back of a fork, pour milk over the strawberries, and season with sweetener to taste. Eat immediately with a spoon or fork.
*Strawberries are acidic so the milk will start to curdle slightly as it sits. This does not affect the taste and shouldn’t keep you from enjoying your berries.
Keywords: chilled, no cook, summer, strawberries, fruit, easy, comfort food, quick, snacks
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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