Today, I’ve got the ultimate Tim Horton’s copycat blueberry muffins that taste just like they did when we were kids. Perfectly sweet with a crunchy streusel top and loaded with blueberries. These will easily be your new favourite blueberry muffin!
Tim Horton’s blueberry muffins were one of my favourite treats growing up and in general, blueberry muffins were always one of my favourite things. I will forever say that Newfoundland has the best blueberries so I always loved any baking with blueberries. Tim Horton’s muffins in the 90’s and early 2000’s were absolutely amazing and always hit. These are one and the same!
These muffins are jumbo muffins so besides nostalgia, they’re also a great treat to bake for neighbours, bring to a brunch or have for breakfast! I guarantee, everyone will want the recipe, I’ve already had a few people ask for it when doing taste tests!
If you want some other nostalgic treats, check out my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or my easy chocolate cupcakes. If you’d like a healthier blueberry muffin option, then try my blueberry flax muffins which are made with whole grains and no butter.
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries?
You can use either, just check to see how much flavour they have. If they don’t have a lot of taste, then add the lemon juice in the recipe.
If using frozen, don’t let them thaw before using.
How to Get the Tall Muffin Tops
There’s a couple important steps here besides the recipe itself that will assure you tall bakery style tops. First is letting the batter rest for 20-30 minutes if you can wait that long. I typically just do 20 minutes because I’m impatient but 30 will give a little better result.
Next is starting the oven temperature higher at 425°F, forcing the muffins to rise quickly. Just make sure to turn the temperature back down after 7 minutes or they’ll become dry.
Third, is filling each one so it’s overflowing. This is also why you need to let the batter rest. The water molecules will start to absorb leading to a thicker batter. Then you can overfill without making a big mess.
Last is optional and it’s only filling 6 of the muffin cups in your pan. So you fill every other cup. This allows heat to better spread and gives the muffins more room to grow. You can skip this step but your muffins won’t rise as much and make bake into each other a little.
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
How to Store Muffins
When storing these blueberry muffins, follow these steps:
- Fully cool the muffins, otherwise they’ll get gummy and soggy.
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
- Put the muffins on top of the paper towel.
- Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.
- Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze Muffins
If you want to freeze these, follow these steps:
- Fully cool the muffins
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
- Put the muffins on top of the paper towel in a single layer.
- Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.
- Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To eat, take amount you need out and let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or heat in the microwave in 20 second increments. Be cautious if using the microwave when feeding children or toddlers, it can leave hot spots.
Baking Tips
- Make sure not to overmix the batter or you will end up with a very tough, dense muffin. Gently fold the batter until just combined.
- Taste test a blueberry to see how tasty they are. If they don’t have much taste, toss them in the 1 tsp lemon juice to help bring out their flavour.
- For a taller dome and to avoid them baking into each other a little, bake them in every other tin, so only 6 muffins per pan.
- If you do bake all 12 in one pan and they bake into each other, use a butter knife to cut them apart. You’ll barely be able to tell plus you won’t scratch your pan.
- Follow my above steps for the best Tim Hortons or bakery style muffin top.
- Using room temperature ingredients allows everything to properly combine and will lead to a better bake.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Summer Bakes
Today’s song I had to go with a Canadian classic that is one of my all time favourite songs for these Canadian classic muffins. Here’s Riverboat Fantasy by David Wilcox.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Tim Horton’s Copycat Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups (400g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup (250g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (76g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (60g) canola oil
- 2/3 cup (160g) sour cream
- 1 cup (250g) whole milk (or any kind of milk other than skim)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup (280g) wild blueberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
Streusel
- 1/4 cup (30g) all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp (40g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp (21g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add the melted butter, oil, sour cream, milk and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and, using a spatula, fold until almost combined. Fold in the blueberries. (*See notes if adding lemon juice) Let batter rest for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 425℉ while you wait.
- While the batter rests, make your streusel. In a small microwave safe bowl or dish, add the butter and heat in 20 second increments until melted. Stir in 1/4 cup flour and 3 tbsp of sugar. You should end up with clumps. Set aside.
- Line or spray 12 tins on 2 different pans, alternating so there's space between each muffin or 12 tins in one pan (**see notes). Fill each tin so it's slightly overflowing. As we've rested the batter, it won't actually spill out the sides. Then top each muffin with the streusel evenly until it's gone.
- Bake at 425℉ for 7 minutes and then without opening the oven door, drop the temperature to 350℉ and bake for an additional 18-22 minutes or until they have started to turn golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to fully cool before storing in airtight container for up to 3 days and enjoy!
My family rated these as one of the best muffins they’d had in years! Can’t think of a better compliment!
If you enjoy then as well, let me know with a review and star rating!