blueberry cornflake muffins

Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

Blueberry cornflake muffins are made with a super light and moist blueberry muffin base and topped with a crunchy cornflake streusel topping. If you’re the kind of person who eats a muffin only for its crunchy, crispy muffin top, this recipe is for YOU. The cornflake streusel takes the muffin tops to the next level, giving each muffin a signature crunch from the cornflakes and a slight caramel flavor from the brown sugar streusel. But don’t snooze on the blueberry muffin base either! Each blueberry muffin is generously studded with fresh blueberries, all wrapped in a soft and fluffy crumb.

blueberry cornflake muffins

Why You Should Make Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

Now let’s talk about all the reasons why you should make this blueberry cornflake muffin recipe:

This blueberry cornflake muffin is based on a blueberry muffin recipe from popular New York City bakery, Ovenly.

When developing recipes for Hummingbird High, I always look for inspiration in many places: real life bakeries, old cookbooks, food magazines, and of course, other food blogs like my own. This blueberry cornflake muffin is a direct result of that! The cornflake streusel topping recipe actually comes from the Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York’s Most Creative Bakery cookbook. Ovenly is a very popular bakery in New York City. I frequented the bakery when I lived in New York. I especially loved their signature, unique take on classic baked goods—like this cornflake streusel on blueberry muffins!

But this blueberry cornflake muffin recipe is also a variation of a trusted, fan-favorite recipe!

Unfortunately, when I tried their matching recipe for blueberry sour cream muffins, I was disappointed. Although it was good, it didn’t match up to the beloved blueberry muffin recipes (like this Copycat Levain Bakery Blueberry Muffin Recipe and this Small Batch Blueberry Muffin Recipe) on my blog. So I decided to take Ovenly’s cornflake streusel recipe and pair it with my own signature blueberry muffin recipe.

And I’m not alone in my love for my blueberry muffin recipe. To this date, both the Levain Bakery Blueberry Muffins and its small batch version are two of the most popular recipes on Hummingbird High. So many of you have made both the full sized version on my blog and the small batch version on my Instagram account, sharing your rave results with me!

This blueberry cornflake muffin recipe is the perfect recipe for beginner bakers looking to step up his or her baking game.

This is the perfect recipe for folks who have mastered basic baking recipes like cookies and brownies, but want to take things to the next level. This blueberry cornflake muffin makes bakery-style muffins, but with techniques that are attainable for any home baker.

blueberry cornflake muffins

Blueberry Cornflake Muffin Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make these blueberry cornflake muffins, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Shopping List for Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

  • unsalted butter
  • dark OR light brown sugar
  • unsweetened cornflakes
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • whole milk
  • pure vanilla extract
  • granulated sugar
  • large eggs
  • fresh blueberries

And let’s talk about some of its key ingredients!

Brown Sugar

These blueberry cornflake muffins need 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar to make its cornflake streusel topping.

Light versus Dark Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is granulated white sugar with a touch of molasses to give it its signature color and flavor. Because brown sugar contains molasses, it adds more moisture baked goods than granulated sugar otherwise would. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference; because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. However, you can use either in the cornflake streusel topping without altering its flavor too much.

Can I use granulated sugar instead of brown sugar in the cornflake streusel topping?

Yes, with reservations. Brown sugar helps give these muffins their signature, toasted look. White granulated sugar doesn’t quite have the same effect. However, your blueberry cornflake muffins will still be plenty tasty.

Can I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar in the cornflake streusel topping?

Yes! In a pinch, coconut sugar works instead of brown sugar in the cornflake streusel recipe.

Unsweetened Cornflakes

These blueberry cornflake muffins need ¾ cup unsweetened cornflakes to make its cornflake streusel topping.

What are unsweetened cornflakes?

Unsweetened cornflakes are literally cornflakes that haven’t been coated in any type of sugar or glaze (sadly, that means skipping my personal favorites like Frosted Flakes and Cinnamon Toast Crunch).The most popular unsweetened cornflake brand is Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. I recommend using Kellogg’s, or a generic version, for this blueberry cornflake muffin recipe.

Can I use sweetened cornflakes for these blueberry cornflake muffins instead?

No, please don’t. The recipe instructs you to combine the cornflakes with a lot of butter and sugar. If you use sweetened cornflakes, your muffins might turn out WAY too sweet! To add insult to injury, a lot of sweetened cornflakes use corn syrup to coat and sweeten the cereal. The corn syrup melts in a weird way, leaving a weird, sticky, tacky mess on top of your muffins.

Can I use another type of unsweetened cereal like Cheerios, Chex, Shredded Wheat, Rice Krispies, and more?

Technically, you can, but I don’t recommend it. Why? Because your results will vary greatly depending on the kind of cereal you use. Some cereal works wonderfully, giving your muffins a crispy, buttery topping similar to the original recipe with cornflakes. Others won’t work well at all, and will leave you with soggy cereal on top of each muffin. If you want guaranteed GOOD results, stick with my cornflake recommendation. However, if you don’t mind experimenting and potentially ending up with some bad batches of muffins, feel free to play around. Just don’t leave any nasty comments about the recipe if your chosen cereal doesn’t work in this muffin recipe. Because I warned you!

All-Purpose Flour

These blueberry cornflake muffins need 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour to make the muffin batter.

Can I use another kind of flour for these blueberry cornflake muffins?

Yes, but with reservations. You can substitute up to ¼ cup to ½ cup of the all-purpose flour in the recipe with an alternative flour of your choice. This alternative flour can also be gluten-free. For instance, this copycat Levain Bakery blueberry muffin recipe on my blog is very similar to this recipe. But it actually uses a partial amount of almond flour (also known as almond meal) for flavor! If you go this route, you may need to adjust Bake Time. A gluten-free replacement typically requires less Bake Time, whereas a whole flour replacement will require a few more minutes of Bake Time.

That being said, you cannot substitute the all-purpose flour with another type of flour completely without dramatically altering results. This especially holds true if you substitute the all-purpose flour completely with a gluten-free substitute like almond flour or almond meal. your muffins will likely be completely flat and won’t look or taste anything like mine.

Does a 1-1 gluten free all-purpose flour (like Bob’s Red Mill, or King Arthur Flour) work in this recipe?

I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I rarely bake with those types of flour replacements because they’re expensive and my household doesn’t have any gluten restrictions. However, if you replace the flour in this small batch blueberry muffin recipe with it, please leave a comment so I can update this post accordingly!

In general, my specialty lies in creating baking recipes with conventional ingredients. If you’re looking for a gluten-free muffin recipe, I suggest checking out my friends over at The Bojon Gourmet and Snixy Kitchen. Both Alanna and Sarah specialize in gluten-free baking and will be able to help you out better than I can!

Whole Milk

These blueberry cornflake muffins need ½ cup whole milk to make the muffin batter.

Can I use skim, low-fat or non-fat milk instead of whole milk in this small batch blueberry muffin recipe?

Yes, but with reservations. Skim, low-fat, and non-fat milks will lead to less flavorful baked goods.

Can I use non-dairy milk like almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk instead of whole milk for these small batch blueberry muffins?

Yes! You can use alternatives like almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, and/or oat milk in this recipe without altering the results. However, be mindful that using an alternative milk with “strong” flavors (like coconut or oat milk) will impart their flavors into the blueberry muffin, too. Specifically, your blueberry muffins might have a subtle coconut or oat milk flavor to them, too.

Fresh Blueberries

These blueberry cornflake muffins need 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries to make the muffin batter.

Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh blueberries for this blueberry muffin recipe?

Yes, but with reservations. You’ll likely need to increase the Bake Time of the recipe. I would start by adding an additional 5 minutes to the original blueberry cornflake muffin recipe’s Bake Time.

Can I replace the blueberries with another kind of fruit?

Yes, but with reservations. The recipe works best if you replace the blueberries with another berry. Think: blackberries, cranberries, and raspberries. You can also get away with chopping up strawberries into chunks that are roughly the same size as a blueberry and using them in this recipe.

However, chopped up stone and stem fruit don’t work as well. Why? The fruit is too heavy. The muffins don’t rise as well with chopped up apples, pears, and more.

Can I replace the blueberries with bananas to make banana muffins instead?

No, please don’t. Bananas, unlike berries, are more likely to turn into a pureed texture when baked. As a result, this recipe won’t work with bananas. If you want to make banana muffins, please check out my recipes for Banana Cinnamon Muffins, Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Small Batch Banana Nut Muffins.

Can I replace the blueberries with chocolate chips to make chocolate chip muffins instead?

Technically yes, but I don’t recommend doing so. You can substitute the blueberries in the recipe out for the same amount of chocolate chips to make chocolate chip muffins. However, I don’t really recommend it. The muffins are already pretty sweet with the cornflake streusel topping. And combining it with chocolate chips? It might be too much. And this is coming from me—I’m a big chocolate lover!

blueberry cornflake muffins

How to Make Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

Here are the basic steps to make blueberry cornflake muffins from scratch:

First, prep your ingredients.

  1. Prep all the ingredients for the blueberry cornflake muffins. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
    To make the best blueberry muffins, it’s important to pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe. That means bringing the milk, butter, egg, and blueberries (if refrigerated) down to room temperature. Using cold ingredients will lead to muffins that won’t rise and dome as well as mine. 

Next, make the cornflake streusel.

  1. Make the cornflake streusel. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    In a small bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. Toss with your fingertips, rubbing the sugar into butter. Add the cornflakes and toss to combine. That’s it—easy, right? For best results, make sure to refrigerate the streusel while you make the blueberry muffin batter.

Then, make the blueberry muffins.

  1. Make the blueberry muffin batter. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    Similar to the streusel, the muffin batter comes together fairly quickly. Simply cream together the butter, sugar, and egg, then add the dry ingredients in two parts, followed by the wet ingredients and the blueberries.

  2. Divide the blueberry muffin batter into muffins. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    One of the secrets to super tall and domed muffins is to fill up each cavity in the muffin pan with a generous amount of batter. Using the right tools—like this 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop—will make the job go by quicker and faster. Be sure to check out the baker’s notes for links to my favorite batter scooping tools!

  3. Sprinkle each blueberry muffin with the cornflake streusel. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    Before baking, sprinkle at least 1 Tablespoon of cornflake streusel over every muffin. This part is what makes these muffins MAGIC.

  4. Bake the blueberry cornflake muffins. (Bake Time: 22 to 24 minutes)
    This small batch blueberry muffin recipe bakes for 22 to 24 minutes. Why the range? Juicier, ripe blueberries need more time in the oven. And note that if you’ve replaced part of the all-purpose flour with an alternative flour or used frozen fruit, you may need to adjust Bake Time. Check out the ingredients section above for more specifics!
blueberry cornflake muffins

Blueberry Cornflake Muffins Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: Equipment to Make Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

Can I use a cupcake pan instead of a muffin pan for this small batch blueberry muffin recipe?

Errr… I thought they were the same thing. Wait, are they not? In any case, I use this muffin pan any time I bake either muffins OR cupcakes. If your cupcake pan is similar, you should have no problems!

FAQ: Blueberry Cornflake Muffin Recipe Techniques

Can I halve the recipe to make a small batch of blueberry cornflake muffins?

Yes, absolutely! Simply half all the ingredient quantities in the recipe for a yield of 6 muffins instead of 12. Bake Time should stay the same, but I recommend filling the empty muffin pan cavities with water, too. Doing so helps prevent the muffins from cooking too quickly.

Help! My blueberry cornflake muffins don’t look as tall and domed as yours. What did I do wrong?

Okay, first things first. Did you see my note in the section above and in the baker’s tips below about why it’s important to use room temperature ingredients? If you used cold milk, eggs, and blueberries, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine.

Next—did you follow the recipe’s instructions to fill each muffin cavity with 5 Tablespoons of batter? It’s scary, I know. It seems like there’s too much batter and that the muffins will overflow. But trust the recipe! Overfilling each muffin cavity is the secret to super tall and domed muffins.

Help! My blueberry cornflake muffins are super greasy at the bottom of the pan. What did I do wrong?

Absolutely nothing, I promise! Most streusel recipes are made with butter, sugar, and flour. During the baking process, the flour helps absorb the melted butter, preventing traditional streusel muffin recipes from getting greasy at the bottom of the pan.

However, cornflakes don’t absorb butter in the same way as flour. As a result, some of the butter from the cornflake streusel will melt and collect at the bottom of the muffin pan cavities. This is totally normal and does not negatively affect your muffin in any way!

Help! My blueberry cornflake muffins got stuck in the pan! What happened? What did I do wrong?

Don’t panic! Larger clumps of cornflake streusel, especially if sprinkled towards the edges of the muffin, can melt down and cause the muffins to get stuck in the pan. Run an offset spatula under any of these “stuck” parts, then wait for the muffins to cool completely. The muffins are easy to unstick from the pan once they’ve cooled to room temperature!

FAQ: Blueberry Cornflake Muffin Storage

How to Store Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

The muffins are best on the day that they’re made, but can be individually wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Can I refrigerate the unbaked blueberry muffin batter to save it for for baking later?

Yes, with reservations. You can refrigerate the unbaked blueberry muffin batter for up to 36 hours. You can refrigerate the muffin batter all together in its bowl, OR divided into muffins in the muffin pan. I recommend covering both with plastic wrap until ready to bake.

That being said, I don’t particularly recommend doing so. Why? Cold blueberry muffin batter never bakes up as tall and domed as room temperature muffin batter. You may also need to add a few extra minutes of Bake Time to the recipe when working with cold batter. To avoid these issues, you can bring the blueberry muffin batter back down to room temperature before baking.

Can you freeze the baked blueberry cornflake muffins?

Yes, but with reservations. You can freeze any leftover muffins by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator the night before you’re planning on eating the muffin. Rewarm in the microwave or the oven before serving.

However, in general I don’t recommend freezing the muffins. Once frozen and thawed, the muffins will no longer have their crispy cornflake tops.

Best Blueberry Cornflake Muffin Recipe Tips

Best Ingredient Tip

  • Pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe (please don’t miss this—they’re even written bold). The secret to super tall and domed muffin tops starts with your ingredients. If any of them are colder than room temperature, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine did.

Best Equipment Tip

  • For this blueberry cornflake muffin recipe, I recommend  a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to divide the batter into muffins. The cookie dough scoops are for filling each cavity with muffin batter. Because to get tall domes, you’ll need to fill each one with 5 tablespoons of batter. It will seem like a lot, but the batter is fairly thick. I promise that it will hold its shape before and during baking, resulting in sky-high domes.

Best Blueberry Cornflake Muffin Results Tip

  • Don’t panic if, when turning out your muffins, you see some butter at bottom of each muffin cavity. This is normal! Most streusel recipes are made with butter, sugar, and flour. During the baking process, the flour helps absorb the butter as it melts. However, cornflakes don’t absorb butter in the same way as flour. As a result, some of the butter will melt and collect at the bottom of the pan. This is totally normal and does not negatively affect your muffin in any way!

Get the Recipe: Blueberry Cornflake Muffins Recipe

Take your blueberry muffins to the next level with this blueberry cornflake muffin recipe! Crunchy cornflakes and brown sugar streusel top each blueberry muffin, giving them a signature, unique crunch.
(4.56 stars) 9 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Cornflake Streusel

  • 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 Tablespoons dark OR light brown sugar
  • ¾ cup (0.75 ounces or 28 grams) unsweetened cornflakes

For the Blueberry Muffins

  • 2 ½ cups (11.25 ounces or 319 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 ½ cups (13 ounces or 369 grams) fresh blueberries, at room temperature

Instructions
 

For the Blueberry Cornflake Muffins

  • First, make the cornflake streusel. In a small bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar. Toss with your fingertips, rubbing the sugar into butter, until the mixture is combined and crumbly with lima bean- and pea-sized clumps. Add the cornflakes and toss to combine, lightly crushing the cornflakes into the clumps. Refrigerate while you make the muffin batter.
  • Prep your oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
  • Make the muffin batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and the vanilla.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one is fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
  • With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two equal parts, adding the second half only when the first half has been just combined. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk and vanilla in a steady stream down the side of the bowl and beat until just combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then add the blueberries all at once. Beat on low until just combined.
  • Use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each lined cavity with 5 Tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle the top of each muffin, aiming for the batter and avoiding the pan, with 1 Tablespoon of the cornflake streusel.
  • Bake the muffins. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the muffins are domed and golden brown around the edges. A skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with few crumbs attached. Cool the muffins in their muffin tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use an offset spatula to run underneath the edges of any large blueberry muffin tops to prevent them from sticking in the pan. Be careful to just run the offset spatula under the edges—you don't want to accidentally cut into the muffin bottom and decapitate the muffin from its top!
  • Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!

Variation: Small Batch Blueberry Cornflake Muffins Recipe

What do you do when you like the sound of these muffins but don’t have a whole crowd to feed? Simple—make the small batch variation! The small batch blueberry cornflake muffins recipe below makes only SIX muffins. That’s half the batch of the regular recipe!

Small Batch Blueberry Cornflake Muffins Recipe Ingredients

For the Cornflake Streusel

  • 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce or 28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 Tablespoons dark OR light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (.5 ounces or 14 grams) unsweetened cornflakes

For the Blueberry Muffins

  • 1 ¼ cups (5.65 ounces or 160 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces) whole milk, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) granulated sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups (6.5 ounces or 184 grams) fresh blueberries, at room temperature

Small Batch Blueberry Cornflake Muffins Recipe Instructions

Follow the recipe instructions above for making the cornflake streusel with the small batch recipe quantities. Then, follow the recipe instructions for prepping the oven and pan. However, instead of lining the muffin pan with 12 paper liners, only line 6 cavities with paper liners. Proceed with the recipe instructions for making the blueberry muffin batter. Divide the blueberry muffin batter between the 6 lined cavities. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 2 teaspoons cornflake streusel. Fill the empty cavities halfway up with water. Bake as instructed in the recipe.

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Michelle holding Weeknight Baking cookbook covering her face.

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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.

This post was last updated 8/24/2020.