The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (2024)

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The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (1)

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins are legendary in the Boston area. We’re sharing the recipe today – including tips and tricks from the man who baked these muffins for 45 years.

There’s a saying that goes, “God is in the details.” Meaning – when attention is paid to small details, it yields great rewards. Such is the case with today’s recipe for The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins!

Jordan Marsh Company was a New England-based department store with its flagship store located in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. Years ago, many Bostonians (including myself) made frequent pilgrimages to the Jordan Marsh bakery just for their legendary blueberry muffins.

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (2)

The Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins were perfection! A huge, sweet, tender, cake-like muffin that baked up into a perfectly domed, sugar-crusted muffin top! Inside was a generous amount of juicy blueberries – so juicy they stained the muffin batter in parts a distinctive purple-blue color.

If you search online, there are many sites that have already shared the same version of the Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins recipe over the years. I’ve tried that recipe, and while the muffins were very good, they really weren’t the same as the muffins I remember eating from the Jordan Marsh bakery.

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (3)

So I was thrilled to see a recent local Boston news reporter, Maria Stephanos, interview John Pupek – the now-retired baker who made the Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins for 30 years! Maria convinced John to come out of retirement to share his secret tips and tricks for making those amazing muffins. You can see her broadcast here.

As soon as we saw this news report, I knew I wanted to try making the Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins recipe again! And while Maria shares the muffin recipe, as written, it didn’t reflect all of those little details that John shared with her in the interview. We made three different batches of muffins – listening to the video for additional secrets before we got it right!

Our written recipe below details some specifics including:

Use a blend of bread and pastry flour (we used a 50/50 mix)

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (4)

Slowly cream the sugar and shortening until lightly and fluffy. (We settled on a mix of butter and shortening. While the recipe listed butter, if you listen to the video of the interview, John mentions “shortening” – but we felt 100% shortening didn’t have as much flavor as a butter and shortening combination).

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (5)

Use fortified eggs (we used Eggland’s Best which have more Omega-3 fatty acids than typical eggs) and add them gradually to the sugar/shortening mixture.

Mash ½ cup of the blueberries (this helps gives the muffins their distinctive color as well as additional moisture).

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (6)

Coat the remaining blueberries with some of the flour mixture before stirring them into the batter. (In watching the video, we were certain that they used frozen blueberries rather than fresh blueberries based on the amount of juices in the bowl.)

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Don’t over mix the batter, otherwise it will yield a tough muffin.

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Generously grease the muffin pans with shortening – including the top of the pan. We also recommend using paper liners – the two batches we attempted without liners stuck to the pan. Then fill the muffin cups with a heaping amount of batter.

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Generously coat the top of each filled muffin cup with sugar.

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (10)

And this is one of our tips: To get that wonderful domed top – start with a very hot oven, then reduce to a lower temperature after baking for five minutes.

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After following the tips and tricks from the news broadcast – and some trial and error of our own at home – we think these make-at-home Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins are very close to the real deal! Enjoy!

We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (12)

The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (13)

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Yield: 10 muffins 1x

Prep: 20 minsCook: 25 minsTotal: 45 minutes

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Units:

Scale:

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 whole fortified eggs such as Eggland’s Best
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
  • 1 cup white pastry flour
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for tops

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with rack in the center of the oven.
  2. Spray the inside of a 12 cup muffin tin with pan spray (You will only be using 10 of the 12). Then, using vegetable shortening, liberally grease the top of the pan. Place muffin papers into the sprayed holes. Set the pan aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and shortening for one minute with the paddle attachment.
  4. Add sugar and beat on medium for about one minute.
  5. With the machine on medium, add one egg at a time and blend to mix. Scrape sides then beat on medium for two and a half minutes. This is important to whip air into the batter.
  6. Add vanilla and beat for a few more seconds to combine.
  7. Remove ½ cup of blueberries to a small bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Set aside.
  8. See how much liquid the blueberries gave up. I determined that it was a bit too much and pulled ¼ cup of liquid out which I did not use in the muffins. I did leave some juice in with the blueberries however, maybe about ¼ to 1/3 cup.
  9. Take two tablespoons of either flour type and sprinkle over the whole blueberries and toss to coat.
  10. Mix both flours, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Just stir a few times to mix.
  11. Start adding the flour mixture and the milk a little at a time with the mixer running. Once they are both in, do not mix further. You want to just get them incorporated without over mixing. Otherwise the muffins will be tough.
  12. Remove the mixing bowl to your counter and fold in the mashed blueberries. Then fold in the whole berries with the juice.
  13. The traditional Jordan Marsh blueberry had a purple/blue tint from the berry juice.
  14. Using an ice-cream scoop, divide the mixture between ten cups of the prepared 12 cup muffin tin. The batter will be piled high above the rim.
  15. Sprinkle the final granulated sugar over the tops of each muffin (total 2 tablespoons) and immediately place in the oven.
  16. Bake for five minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 20 more minutes. (If your oven has a hot spot, rotate pan halfway through. Do not over bake. They will be soft but 25 minutes is plenty of time and they will bake a little further outside of the oven.)
  17. Remove to a rack to cool.
  18. Once cool, gently pry the muffins out by making sure the overhang did not stick to the pan top.

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The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making moist muffins? ›

How to Make Homemade Muffins Moist: Our Top Tips
  1. Tips to Make Homemade Muffins Moist.
  2. Keep Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately.
  3. Add All Flavorings Last.
  4. Consider Paper Liners.
  5. Don't Overfill the Muffin Cups.
  6. Check the Temperature of Your Oven.
  7. Test if Muffins Are Fully Cooked.
  8. Top Your Muffins with Flavor.
Aug 9, 2021

Does Jordan's Furniture sell the blueberry muffins? ›

Taste the magic of the Original Jordan's Blueberry Muffins. These mouth-watering treats are filled with soft, fresh blueberries with a crunchy, sugary coating on top. Available for purchase in-store or online.

Does Jiffy blueberry muffin mix have real blueberries? ›

`s customer relations department tells us that the blueberries in the mix actually are little bits of apples that are flavored and colored to look and taste like blueberries. Why does Jiffy do this?

Who made the first blueberry muffin? ›

Some people theorize that the Europeans began using wild blueberries in place of bilberries in their recipes, including in muffins, thus giving birth to the blueberry muffin. Today, blueberry muffins are an extremely popular food and options run the gamut from healthy to decadent.

What does adding an extra egg do to muffins? ›

Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery.

Why are Bakery muffins so much better? ›

The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour

Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.

What happened to Jordan Marsh stores? ›

In the mid-1990s, after more than 100 years of operation, Jordan Marsh (which also included stores in Florida beginning in the late 1950s) was eventually folded into the Macy's chain, and the glory days of the enormous Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins ended.

What happened to the other owner of Jordan's Furniture? ›

The Tatelman brothers continued to run Jordan's together until 2006, when Barry left to launch a Broadway production company. Eliot continues to serve as president and CEO.

Is it better to use fresh or frozen blueberries for blueberry muffins? ›

Fresh or frozen blueberries work great! This tried-and-true recipe is a keeper, and the only one you need if you've been looking for a straightforward, go-to blueberry muffin recipe!

What happened to Jiffy Blueberry Muffin Mix? ›

discontinued in June of 2014. group.

How to doctor up blueberry muffin mix? ›

Makers love to use these 5 ways to experiment with muffin mixes to make something extra special.
  1. Add Fresh or Frozen Fruit to the Batter. ...
  2. Add a Cream Cheese Filling. ...
  3. Add Nuts to the Batter. ...
  4. Add a Sweet Topping. ...
  5. Make Something Completely Different.

What is the blueberry muffin theory? ›

The other was the blueberry muffin model, which posited that electrons were randomly distributed throughout the atom like blueberries in a muffin. The analogies helped those scientists ground their theories, and they help high school students today understand the basics of atomic structure.

What is the difference between a blueberry muffin and a blueberry cupcake? ›

The fluffy batter is what gives cupcakes their soft, spongy texture. Muffins, on the other hand, are moist and dense. Another important difference between a cupcake and a muffin is that cupcakes tend to have more sugar and so they're a lot sweeter than muffins.

Where do McDonald's muffins come from? ›

He explained, "The English muffin that McDonald's uses is their own recipe. The manufacturers make it specifically for McDonald's because they are so big they can buy as much of that as they want."

What to add to muffin mix to make it moist? ›

Combine with melted butter for extra fat, moisture, and a little flavor. Milk: Milk adds plenty of moisture and lightens up the crumb. I usually use whole milk or buttermilk. Coarse Sprinkling Sugar: I recommend a sprinkle of coarse sugar for crunchy, sparkly muffin tops.

Is oil or butter better for muffins? ›

Many muffin recipes use cooking oil instead of butter. Oil, being a liquid, distributes easily in the quick-mix batter and is readily absorbed into the baked muffin, producing a light non-greasy texture. Vegetable oil is ideal because its mild flavour doesn't compete with the main flavour of the muffin.

How to get domed muffins? ›

When I was researching muffin recipes for #weeknightbakingbook, I discovered that muffins dome really well when first baked at a high temperature like 425 (F). Doing so encourages the baking powder in the batter to react faster, causing the muffins to rise more quickly in the oven.

What makes muffins not dry? ›

For baking you need to use a product that is a minimum of 70% fat. Spreads with less fat contain more water, resulting in dry, less tender muffins. Remember that one stick of butter or margarine is equal to 1/2 cup and not 1 cup. If you confused the two, you will be cutting the amount of fat used by half.

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