These Gluten-Free Blackberry Muffins are bursting with fresh blackberries and made with gluten-free flour. They have delightfully crunchy tops and are easy to make in the morning or ahead of time!
If you’ve ever had gluten-free baked goods, you know that sometimes they lean a little more on the dry side. However, that is NOT the case with these gluten-free blackberry muffins. They’re just as tender and soft as ones made with regular flour, and the simple trick here is to use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.
These are a variation of our Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins except they’re made with fresh blackberries and have sparkly sugar-crusted tops. They make a great summer morning breakfast (or year-round) and are nice to keep handy on the kitchen counter whenever you feel like grabbing one!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fluffy Texture: These muffins have a super soft and fluffy crumb.
- Crunchy Tops: A generous sprinkling of coarse sugar on top of these blackberry muffins gives them a sweet and crunchy texture that compliments their fluffy interior.
- Gluten-Free: This ones a given, but if you have a sensitivity to gluten or just want an alternative, these are perfect for you!
- Made with Just One Flour: No need for a combination of oat flour, almond flour, etc. All you need is 1:1 baking flour for this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: We used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour for this recipe. We recommend using a kitchen scale to accurately measure your flour.
- Baking Powder + Salt: Fine sea salt is our go-to for most recipes, but regular works here too.
- Granulated Sugar: This is combined with lemon zest to make lemon sugar.
- Lemon Zest: To brighten up the overall flavor.
- Unsalted Butter: Leave it out for at least 30 minutes to an hour to allow it to soften. It should give when lightly pressed, but shouldn’t be greasy.
- Eggs: Leave them out for 1-2 hours beforehand or place them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat for best results and make sure it’s room temperature before using.
- Whole Milk: 2% works here too, but that extra bit of fat is what helps to keep the muffins soft and moist.
- Vanilla and Almond Extract: We love using a combination of the two because it gives them that classic bakery-style flavor.
- Blackberries: We recommend fresh blackberries, but if you only have frozen, add them into the batter straight from the freezer. Thawing them will make your batter streaky and grey-ish.
- Coarse Sugar: Turbinado or demerara will work.
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Oven Thermometer
- Mixing Bowls
- Muffin Liners
- Large Cookie Scoop
- 12-cup Muffin Pan
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients and make the lemon sugar. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then in the bowl of a stand mixer, massage the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant and pale yellow.
STEP 2: Add the wet ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Then add the eggs in one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Finally, mix in the sour cream, milk, and extracts until well combined.
STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until there’s a few streaks left.
STEP 4: Fold in the blackberries. Gently fold in the halved blackberries until everything is just combined. Be careful not to overmix or break up the berries too much.
STEP 5: Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Evenly transfer the batter into a prepared 12-cup muffin pan and generously sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
STEP 6: Bake. Bake the blackberry muffins for 10 minutes at 425°F (220°C) then reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door when reducing the temperature.
Let them cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan then carefully remove them with a fork and transfer to a wire rack.
Expert Tips
- Take out the dairy ingredients about 2 hours before baking. Room temperature ingredients are key for getting the best results, and if they’re too cold they could shock and curdle your butter.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Fold everything together at the end until it’s just combined. Overworking the batter could cause the muffins to come out dense and dry.
- Add white chocolate chips just because. If you want to jazz things up a bit, add 130 g (¾ cup) of white chocolate chips when folding in the blackberries. They should give your muffins a little more height too!
FAQ
This is likely because your leavener (baking powder) is expired or the oven door was opened before the muffins had time to set. Make sure not to open the oven door at any point until the muffins are nearly done.
Yes! Because of the type of flour used here, you can use a 1:1 ratio of all-purpose flour here if you’d like.
The edges should be lightly golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean or ideally with a few soft crumbs.
The high temperature at the beginning of baking allows the muffins to rise quickly for that bakery-style muffin look. Afterwards, the temperature is lowered to allow the insides to fully cook without burning the tops. In short, it gives the muffins the best height and texture!
Baking in Grams
All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Cover your gluten-free blackberry muffins with a cloche and leave them at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. You can also place them in an airtight container.
Freezing: Let them come completely to room temperature then store them in a well-sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them in the fridge overnight.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Blackberry Muffins
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Large Cookie Scoop
- 12-Cup Muffin Tin
Ingredients
- 210 g (1 ¾ cup) gluten-free 1:1 baking flour spooned and leveled
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 60 g (¼ cup) full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 60 ml (¼ cup) whole milk room temperature
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp pure almond extract
- 170 g (1 ¼ cup) fresh blackberries halved
- 2 tbsp coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and line with muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, massage the sugar and lemon zest together until fragrant and pale yellow.
- Add the butter to the bowl of lemon sugar and fit the stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Scrape down the bowl again and add the sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl once more.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until there's a few streaks left. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the halved blackberries until just combined. Be careful not to break up the berries too much or overmix the batter.
- Use a large cookie scoop to evenly transfer the batter to the prepared muffin cups. Generously sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 8-10 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or ideally with a few soft crumbs. DO NOT open the oven door when reducing the temperature.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then use a fork to gently lift them out and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely or until lightly warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- We used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour for this recipe.
- You can also use frozen blackberries. Just be sure to add them to the batter straight from the freezer. Thawing them will cause the batter to be streaky.
- Set out the dairy ingredients 2 hours before making the muffins to allow them to fully come to room temperature.
- Storage: Place in an airtight container or cover with a cloche and store at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
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