Gluten-Free Blueberry Mascarpone Muffins

Perfecting the blueberry muffin is one thing, but perfecting a gluten-free blueberry muffin is a whole other battle. I’ve taken on the challenge to create the best Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins and this recipe certainly delivers! It’s full of flavor from lemon, almond extract, and creamy mascarpone cheese.

The Perfect Gluten Free Muffin

In my book, the perfect muffin needs to have a tender and fluffy interior, crunchy top, and blueberries dispersed perfectly throughout. The most important of those being the crunchy top—it needs be golden brown and crunchy.

All of these qualities are definitely achievable with a basic muffin recipe using all-purpose flour, butter, and sugar. Achieving these qualities in a gluten-free muffin completely changes the game for a variety of reasons. The biggest challenge is the lack of gluten which is necessary for structure in baked goods (as is sugar).

Gluten-Free Baking

Achieving the qualities of all-purpose flour in gluten-free baking requires a blend of flours and starches. A blend is essential for providing the right amount of protein, starch, and flavor. Gluten-free flour blends commonly include white and brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, some form of added protein, and xanthan gum. 

Making your own blend is definitely an option, but when you don’t feel like buying five different flours and starches for one batch of muffins a packaged blend is handy. I prefer to use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour or NuLife Market’s Always Gluten-Free Flour Blend.

Let the Batter Rest

These gluten-free lemon blueberry muffins are very straightforward with a quick rest time that makes all the difference. Once the batter is mixed up, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Allowing the batter to rest hydrates the flour, which is essential for alleviating the gritty texture of gluten-free flours. More is not more here, stick to a strict 30 minute rest time—any longer and the muffins will come out dense.

This recipe uses fresh blueberries for a few reasons. First, frozen berries stain the batter purple which isn’t bad, but it’s also not ideal. Second, frozen berries add quite a bit of liquid which can make the muffins gummy. And lastly, fresh is best for flavor.

Ingredients Needed for Gluten-free Blueberry Muffins

• 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
• baking powder
• kosher salt
• sugar
• large eggs
• mascarpone cheese
• buttermilk
• olive oil
• lemon zest
• pure almond extract or vanilla extract 
• fresh blueberries
• Turbinado or demerara sugar

How to Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

1. Whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, and salt.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth (this recipe uses less sugar than most muffin recipes).
3. Whisk together the mascarpone, buttermilk, olive oil, zest, and extract.
4. Whisk the mascarpone mixture and egg mixture together until smooth.
5. Add the wet mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined.
6. Fold blueberries into the batter. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes, no less and no more, this hydrates the flour which is essential for gluten-free baking.
7. Divide the batter among greased muffin cups and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. (Turbinado sugar is raw sugar with large granules, great for creating a crunchy top.)
8. Bake muffins until golden brown. Let the muffins cool slightly in the muffin tin, then turn out onto a wire rack.
9. Enjoy a gluten free muffin with butter and a drizzle of honey.

If you make these Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!

Gluten-Free Blueberry Mascarpone Muffins

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5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Yield 12 standard muffins

Category Breakfast

Cuisine American

Author Lauren Grant

Description

Tender and packed with flavor, this recipe for gluten-free blueberry muffins blows all others out of the water! You’d never know these were gluten free. Almond extract adds an added dose of flavor, but feel free to use vanilla instead.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ½ cups (323g) 1:1 gluten free flour blend
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup sugar
• ▢ ½ cup mascarpone cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup buttermilk
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pure almond extract or vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
• ▢ 1 tablespoon turbinado or demerara sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375°F (190ºC) with rack set in middle position. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line cups with paper liners. 
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, set aside.
• Whisk eggs and sugar together until frothy, about 30 seconds.
• Whisk together mascarpone, buttermilk, oil, zest, and almond extract until smooth; whisk into egg mixture.
• Pour wet mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold blueberries into the batter then let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Divide batter among greased muffin cups (about ⅓ cup per muffin) and sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar. Bake muffins until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 22–25 minutes.
• Let muffins cool in cups 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool 5–10 minutes more.

Equipment

muffin tin

1:1 gluten-free flour

turbinado sugar

Notes

Letting the batter rest 30 minutes is important for hydrating the flour and creating structure. Any longer and the muffins will become too tough, any shorter and the muffins will taste “grainy” when cooled.

Storage: These muffins are most tender when eaten still slightly warm. Store leftovers in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, reheat in a 300° oven for 5–10 minutes.

For longer storage: individually wrap  muffins in plastic wrap and foil; place in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to one month. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave at half power for a couple of seconds. To serve warm, reheat in a 300° oven for 5–8 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 136mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15g

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This recipe was originally posted on June 8, 2017 and last updated on March 9th 2021.