I have had blueberry and balsamic vinegar on my mind for years. No joke. A few years ago, I made a blueberry pie for my friend Sara’s birthday with a brown sugar and oat crumble topping. I never got a bite of it, but have been obsessed with the way the blueberries and balsamic vinegar smelled as the two cooked on the stovetop. It was sweet, it was acidic, there was a touch of honey, pepper, and cinnamon that went into the filling, and it’s been something I have been telling myself I need to make again one of these days.
The Blueberry Balsamic Muffins may not be a pie–that’s another project for another year (ahem…next year)–but that doesn’t mean I can’t be obsessed with them. The balsamic vinegar is acidic, but that bite of acid is reduced when you simmer it on the stove with a bit of honey, pepper, and cinnamon until it’s thick and slightly syrupy.
I played around with this recipe more so than any other on this blog so far. At first, my plan was to just drizzle a bit of the balsamic reduction on top of each muffin to be swirled in and topped with the streusel topping. The flavor didn’t pop as much as I wanted it to. It was there, but it was weak and it tasted like just a regular blueberry muffin unless you bit into the very top.
That wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted the flavors to come together, not just to exist separately inside of the same baked entity. So then, I started to tinker with the idea of mixing the balsamic reduction directly into the batter. That way each bite is bursting with a blueberry (there are a lot in this recipe and each blueberry pocket is left wonderfully moist from the fruit of the juice) and the flavors of honey, cinnamon, and balsamic vinegar.
Stirring the reduction directly into the batter also makes these muffins bake with a gorgeous dark golden brown color that doesn’t look overbooked, but looks as if these muffins are keeping a secret, making them all the more intriguing than a regular blueberry muffin.
I have tinkered with this recipe more than any other so far. I started with a ratio at first, using Michael Rahman’s book as a guide as I’ve done before while coming up with cake recipes. And then I completely forgot about the math as the first batch baked far too wet. After overcompensating, I ended up with a far too try mixture. I should have known when my yield went from 24 to 12 muffins that that was going to happen! After a bit more tweaking, and the addition of some oats to the batter, these are finally firm enough to hold in your hand and moist enough to enjoy for days after they’re baked. It was a small victory when everything finally came together, and I was very determined to get these right. Those poor muffins are currently in my freezer, subpar but needing to be eaten at some point in time, most likely after this batch has already been fully consumed though.
Have I mentioned the streusel topping on these things yet? At first, I tried to make the streusel with butter as I’ve done for pies and quick-fix crisps in the past, but the butter melted into the muffins and the fact that there was any topping at all was completely lost. I switched to a completely dry topping, which yes, might fall off when you go to grab one if you put too much on before baking, but the brown sugar forms and almost caramelized crust over the top, balanced out by the toasted flavor of the oats and the pecans. It pairs well with the almond flour and oats in the muffin batter, and brings just that little something extra to each bite of these muffins.
After all the trial and error, I finally managed a result that I just can’t stop thinking about. These are my pre-breakfast muffins, my afternoon cup of coffee muffins, or my how-many-is-too-many dessert muffins. These may be all I eat for the next couple of weeks. And really? I’m okay with that.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 18-20 minutes |
| Servings |
muffins
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- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 cups blueberries rinsed and dried
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour separated into 1 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs large
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 recipe honey balsamic reduction (see instructions below)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
Ingredients
Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
Blueberry Balsamic Muffins
Streusel Topping
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- In a small saucepan, stir together the balsamic vinegar, honey, black pepper, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder. Place on the stovetop over medium high heat and allow to come to a boil, stirring until the honey has melted and the cinnamon has dissolved into the liquid. After reaching a boil, lower the stovetop to low or medium-low and allow the vinegar to simmer for 5-6 minutes, until reduced and slightly syrupy. (You should be left with about 1/3 cup of liquid when it's ready). Set aside to cool.
- Arrange a baking rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a full-sized muffin tin (12 count) with liners or coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss your rinsed blueberries with 1/4 cup flour, until they are evenly coated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond flour, rolled oats, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the vegetable oil, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl over the dry ingredients. Add in the balsamic reduction making sure to get the thick syrup coating the bottom of the pan, and using a wooden spoon, stir until the batter begins to come together, leaving just a few clumps or bits of flour visible. Fold in the floured blueberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling to the top. Set aside while you prepare the streusel topping.
- Make the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the toasted chopped pecans, brown sugar, 1/4 cup almond flour, and 1/4 cup rolled oats.
- Top each muffin with a bit of the streusel topping then bake. Allow the muffins to bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops look set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about ten minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.