Blueberry Muffin Cookies
If you’ve ever wanted a cookie that tastes just like a blueberry muffin, these easy blueberry muffin cookies are for you! Fluffy, moist…and that glaze! Perfection!
Ok, please tell me I’m not the only one who has ever craved a blueberry muffin in cookie form. Anyone? Anyone? Am I alone in this? Please assure me I’m not alone in this.
I think the obsession started years ago after I had such a wonder in an airport of all places. The details are fuzzy but I think it was a random little coffee/pastry shop in a rather unmemorable airport (Denver of Chicago, maybe?). All I really remember is that delicious blueberry muffin cookie.
Soft and fluffy without losing its cookie identity, it was loaded with fresh blueberries (a must) and drizzled with a sweet tangy lemon glaze. If you love the crackly, sweet tops of muffins (my guess is you are also the type that loves the edges of brownies best), you’re going to love these blueberry muffin cookies.
How to make muffin cookies
The batter for these blueberry muffin cookies isn’t altogether that different from regular cookie dough. I like to use an electric stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to really fluff up that butter and sugar.
A little punch of lemon zest in the dough makes them extra yummy.
Once the soft dough comes together (just like regular muffin batter, don’t overmix!), the blueberries are added. Abandon the mixer at this point unless you want seriously destroyed blueberries bleeding purple juice into your pretty cookie dough.
You want to mix in those berries gently.
I use my hands and kind of knead them in, folding the sticky dough up and over the berries until they are pretty well incorporated. It’s a little messy, but it works.
It’s also ok if some cookies end up with more blueberries than others. I fully trust that most people are not counting the number of blueberries in their cookies. And if they are…well…you might need to get new friends.
I use my handy cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Remember the dough is pretty soft so using your hands is probably a no go (a couple of spoons should work if you don’t have a cookie scoop). You can make them as big as you like! A #20 or #40 cookie scoop works really well.
After placing the cookie dough on lined baking sheets, I sprinkle with just a bit of raw/coarse sugar. It gives a fun, tasty little crunch to the cookies as well as enhancing that muffin top vibe. They’ll spread while baking, so place them a couple of inches apart.
I let these cookies cool right on the baking sheets, and then I drizzle with the super simple, super yummy lemon glaze.
Working off a recipe I initially spied in a baking magazine that rekindled my desire to get a blueberry muffin cookie in my life stat, it took several tries to get these cookies exactly how I wanted them . Too flat, still too flat, too crumbly.
And then, just right. But even the mess-ups were devoured lickety split, because the flavor and appeal of these blueberry muffin cookies are irresistible.
But wait! I don’t like blueberries
Sigh. I had a feeling it might come to this. If you desperately need a muffin cookie in your life but can’t get behind blueberries for whatever reason, well, it’s time to experiment!
I think the fruit in these cookies could definitely be modified with a few caveats. Take care with fruits that are more wet or fragile (like raspberries). I think they could work, but they might be a pain to incorporate into the dough. Diced strawberries, blackberries, diced peaches, maybe? And dried fruit could be an option, too.
Or, you could leave the muffins fruitless and go for a zingy lemon version. Now that I’ve suggested that out loud, in my heart of hearts, I’m wondering how a lemon muffin cookie would be with a tiny bit of streusel baked on top?? Kind of like these lemon crumb muffins in cookie form.
Welp, enough talking, looks like I need to be heading back to the kitchen to get working on a few more variations. Muffin cookies forever! Wow, they’re good. And not only do they make an excellent, say, Monday afternoon snack, but they are elegant and pretty enough for a party, brunch, baby/bridal shower. You know…those kinds of things.
One Year Ago: Berries and Cream Pie with Pecan-Graham Cracker Crust
Two Years Ago: Mexican Haystacks {Easy 30-Minute or Less Meal}
Three Years Ago: The Best Homemade Barbecue Sauce {BBQ Sauce}
Four Years Ago: Amazing and Simple Greek Feta Dip
Five Years Ago: Giant Double Chocolate Cookie
Six Years Ago: Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry {30-Minute Meal}
Seven Years Ago: Curried Nachos with Mango Salsa
Eight Years Ago: Curried Cauliflower “Popcorn”
Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, from 1-2 medium lemons
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups (331 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
- 2 cups (340 g) fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sparkling or coarse, raw sugar
Glaze:
- 1 ¼ cups (143 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Mix until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
- With the mixer on low speed add 1/3 of the flour. Mix until mostly combined (a few dry streaks are ok). Mix in half of the sour cream followed by another 1/3 of the flour. Mix in the last half of the sour cream and then the last 1/3 of flour. Mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Add the blueberries and mix gently (I find it's easiest to dig in with my hands and gently fold the blueberries into the batter).
- Scoop the batter in mounds (about 2-3 tablespoons in size or up to 1/4 cup of batter for each cookie for large cookies) and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the cookie dough with coarse sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch and isn't doughy in the center. Let cool on the pans for several minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth – the consistency should be thick but drizzle-able. Add more lemon juice a teaspoon at a time to thin (or whisk in a bit more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze). Drizzle the tops of the cooled cookies with the glaze.
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe in the Bake from Scratch magazine July 2019 (tweaked ingredient amounts)
I used frozen blueberries without thawing and it worked great! It was also very easy to mix them in because they weren’t squashable! These cookies are incredible and the glaze is perfection! Thanks for sharing Mel!
Can the dough be frozen ahead of time?
I haven’t tried freezing the dough, so I’m not sure – sorry!
These were so delicious! I love the combination of lemon and blueberries. I took them to a youth activity and they were gobbled up quickly, then I feel bad that we didn’t have any leftovers for the lunch bags this week! Thanks for sharing.
Amazing!!!!!! Made these so many times now and can’t tell you how many people say how awesome they are. A friend made them for me and I had to have the recipe. The fresh sour lemon glaze is a perfect combination for the blueberry muffin cookie and the raw sugar on top is a perfect texture contrast, chef’s kiss!!
I didn’t have lemon zest but these were still delicious! New favorite
Delicious! Perfection!
Fresh blackberries work phenomenally well!
I make cookies for Habitat for Humanity builds every month. And I always turn to your recipes, as they’ve all been winners so far.
These didn’t disappoint. It’s blueberry season in the Pacific NW, and I’d never even heard of a blueberry cookie! I forgot to add sugar to the first batch, and they were just fine. I ended up putting glaze on half of them, as they were also good without it.
I used frozen blueberries and next time I’d divide the dough & frozen berries in half and form balls with them in smaller batches. I found it was easier to work with very frozen berries. Also, I think I’d try not mixing them all together in the bowl. Instead I’d like to try mixing the berries/dough as informed the balls.
Thanks for your recipes!
“ as I formed the balls”
Not informed.
I made the Blueberry Muffin Cookies yesterday, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 & they were absolutely one of the best cookies I’ve ever put in my mouth! It was a definite hit with my family! My husband’s favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin cookies, but once he bit into these little sweeties, he said the oatmeal raisin cookies are second to these yummy things. Thanks for sharing & I’ll be looking at your other recipes. Also, do any of your recipes require any changes for high altitudes??
Thanks,
Carol
Hi Carol, I’m glad you enjoyed these cookies! I don’t usually include high altitude adjustments since I don’t personally live at high altitude.
Hi, I wanted to ask if I can half this recipe if i don’t want to make as much and if i want a chewier cookie, can I add less baking powder (maybe 1/2 tsp instead of 2?) and I don’t have sour cream or greek yogurt on hand, is there something else I can add instead?
Yes, you can halve the recipe. As for the other changes – I haven’t tried adding less baking powder, but you could try.
I used to LOVE Kroger (Smith’s in my neck of the woods) soft-top cookies, Cranberry Orange ones to be exact, but the last few times I’ve gotten them, they were bitter. I’ve contemplated making my own but wasn’t sure where to start. If I switch blueberries for cranberries and lemon for orange, I wonder how this recipe would turn out. Has anyone else out there tried switching flavors?
These were so good!! We ate them for dessert but to be honest they are the perfect on the go breakfast!! I think these will be perfect for busy school mornings this fall!! ☺
Glad you liked them, Emily! Thanks for letting me know! School morning breakfasts – dreading them already! 🙂
If anyone is wondering, chocolate chips work amazingly in this recipe in place of blueberries. I cut down on the lemon zest by about half, split the batter (dough?) in half after mixing it up and added blueberries to half and chocolate chips to the other half. Both are so delicious. You’re welcome. And thanks, Mel!
Love the report on chocolate chips, Shannon! Thank you!
I think I didn’t let them cook long enough since they still seem doughy. Can I put them back in the oven two days later to cook longer, or are they a lost cause?
I don’t think I’d put them back in after a couple days – sorry!
Got a question! If I don’t eat these all in the first day how long will they last?
They stay soft for several days (I store them at room temp, covered) – the tops get a little softer/wetter after storing, but it doesn’t affect the taste.
These sound amazing! Could I try subbing Greek yogurt for the sour cream? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it but that’s usually a pretty safe substitute!
These are amazing, I added a small amount of flour due to our altitude here in CO (we are about 5,000 ft) and the texture and taste is perfect. I left off the glaze and coarse sugar and subbed 1 drop of lemon essential oil for the zest and almond extract for vanilla ( it was grocery day and I was out of a lot )
Loved them! Will definitely make again
Love the review, thank you so much, Robin!
Delicious! These were very easy to make and quick to bake with just a about 1&1/2 dozen. Able to make these just before dinner and have as dessert. I love the lemon flavor of both the cookie and the icing just completes them!
Thank you, Renee!
LOVE these cookies! I appreciate the simple ingredients of your recipes. I almost always have everything on hand. I baked these an hour after seeing the recipe. They were cooling off as I packed my sons lunch.
So happy to hear this, Rebecca! Hope your son loved them.
It’s blueberry season here in SW Michigan and this was irresistible. I made it this afternoon. I bake GF and used Namaste GF Flour Blend as the recipe was written. These are wonderful! Thanks for such a yummy treat. The trick will be to NOT eat too many!
Thanks for letting me know these transitioned so well to GF, Sue!
Mel, you never disappoint me!! I had a dream last night that I was supposed to meet a lady from my church at 2:55 and take her snickerdoodles. I’ve never made snickerdoodles before, and didn’t know if she even liked them, but I decided God was telling me something, so I searched your blog, had all the ingredients, and ended up with a great visit and some very yummy cookies. And now I have to try making these because blueberry muffins are one of my husband’s favorite things.
Seriously, your recipes are amazing. I can’t even remember anymore how I came across your blog to begin with, but I will always be grateful I did!
I hope you love these cookies (and your husband, too!) if you make them. And that sounds like a pretty remarkable dream – such great inspiration – proud of your for following through with it.
Mel!!! These were amazing! I had a free hour this afternoon and a fridge full of blueberries, I just had to make them. One of the best things I have made with blueberries this summer!
I’m so, so happy to hear that, Tristina! Thanks for checking back in so quickly to let me know!
Can you justify these as a breakfast muffin top or just a dessert/cookie? Sounds delicious!
I mean…they are basically a muffin, and I guess to that I’d say there are a lot of muffins posing as unfrosted cupcakes…so…basically if you are ok with a sweet breakfast, these definitely fit the bill. 🙂
Mel,
These look delicious and perfect for an upcoming baby shower that I will be hosting. Quick question – have you tried using frozen blueberries? My supermarket just had a special and I have several pints in my freezer.
Thanks,
Pam
I used frozen and it worked out great. Made for a nice cold dough.
Nice! Glad to hear that frozen berries worked!
I also used frozen blueberries, that a I let thaw before adding. The juice turned my dough blue, but it was marbled with the neutral color of dough . . . So it seemed to add to the charm of it. My dough was quite a bit wetter than I thought it should be (with the extra juice) but the cookies came out nicely rounded and they didn’t spread.
Thanks for leaving a comment with your experience, Carmin!
I haven’t – my gut feeling is they may not work in these cookies as well as they would in a real, life muffin, but it might be worth experimenting!
Oh my! You’re speaking my love language with this one…blueberry and lemon is my favorite!