Blueberry Muffin Cookies are like the top of a special homemade blueberry muffin but in a cookie form. Juicy blueberries with not-too-sweet, tender crumb. Crisp around the edges and caramelized on top.
Blueberry Muffin Cookies are the epitome of the perfect blueberry cookie, if I may be so bold. What started as a casual conversation with my daughter saying “I feel like you need a blueberry cookie on your blog”, ended up with our family’s new favorite treat. One of the best cookies I’ve ever made and that’s not being bold- I’m stating a fact.
After a lot of experimenting and sharing with several friends, neighbors, and Dave (Mr. Good Dinner Mom), I can tell you, this is the only blueberry cookie recipe you need. Seriously, comments like “Pure perfection”, or “Who doesn’t love a blueberry muffin? Even better in cookie form!”, and from one of my most hard-to-please tasters “a 10 out of 10”. Dave insisted that we give away every test batch, minus just a few for ourselves because he couldn’t resist them. So there you have it. You.will.love.this.recipe.
Below is the obligatory Ingredient List that Google loves all bloggers to add to their posts. From that list, the star ingredients are; 1) Cornstarch. This gives the cookies the slight poof and softness that ensures that “muffin” texture. 2) Cream cheese, and 3) lemon. Both of these ingredients add tang to the cookies that offsets the blueberries, since blueberries aren’t always tart. The cream cheese contributes to the moist factor in the cookies. Lemon is an excellent acid that brightens and boldens all the other flavors.
Ingredients in Blueberry Muffin Cookies-
Dry Ingredients- Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and most importantly, corn starch. Corn starch is the secret to the soft pillowy blueberry muffin texture in these cookies.
Wet ingredients- Eggs, butter, lemon, and cream cheese. Lemon juice and zest is a critical component to contrast with the sweet blueberries and lemon is the acid that enhances everything else. Cream cheese adds a bit of tang and helps with the soft tender crumb in the cookies.
Sugar- Granulated sugar is most successful in the blueberry muffin cookies, but you can switch out the sugar for Monk fruit, Stevia, or honey. Make sure to check for conversion quantities as they aren’t all one to one switches.
Blueberries- Fresh or frozen blueberries work great in the recipe. If using frozen, I don’t bother defrosting the blueberries. Fresh, big blueberries are fantastic as some of the blueberries will pop during baking, and others remain whole, but are plump and juicy, just waiting for you to bite in.
The last step before baking is to roll the blueberry muffin cookies in sugar and this does not make the cookies too sweet. The sugar around the outside of the cookie kind of caramelizes the outer layer and adds at crispy edge at the base. You can skip this step if you prefer but it really adds to the overall experience.
Can blueberry muffin cookies be made in advance?
If you want to make the cookies a few days before serving, the cookie dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated in a bowl until ready to bake (I’ve had to wait two days before and they came out fine then as well). Once you’ve baked the cookies, they’re best served the same day.
Can you use frozen blueberries in blueberry muffin cookies?
Even though blueberries are available year round, they’re at their peak in full flavor during late summer. But even fresh blueberries that might not be full-flavored become more flavorful and juicy as they bake in the oven so keep that in mind; in fact Blueberry Muffin Cookies is a great recipe for under-ripe or under-flavored fresh berries. That being said, you can also use frozen blueberries in this recipe. I don’t thaw the frozen blueberries, just add them in straight from the freezer. If you thaw frozen berries, they bleed a lot of the juice.
Can Blueberry Muffin Cookies be left out overnight?
Left over cookies should be refrigerated since the blueberries will continue to bleed if they’re left out and refrigeration helps them keep their shape and also since the cookies contain cream cheese, refrigeration is recommended. Bring the cookies back to room temperature before serving, they’ll be a little softer the next day, not really crispy at all, but they’re every bit as delicious. Just a little different than the day-of batch.
So there you have it, my new favorite cookie and one that is sure to please, Blueberry Muffin Cookies. The cookies shown were made with a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon). I also make them with a medium (2 tablespoon) scoop and give baking instructions for those as well. Nutrition information is for the bigger cookies. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a regular tablespoon and eye ball the size. Gently roll into a ball with your hands or a second tablespoon.
If you love all things blueberry, be sure to try my Berry Galette or Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as all my tasters did. If you make the Blueberry Muffin Cookies and share them on social media, be sure to tag @Gooddinnermom to be featured on my Instagram or Facebook pages.
Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra ½ cup for rolling cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F° and place one oven rack one place above center and a second rack one place below center (See notes if baking just one pan at a time). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using hand-held beaters) mix 1 cup sugar and ½ cup softened butter until creamy, about 5 minutes on medium-low. Add in 4 ounces softened cream cheese and beat about 10 seconds to incorporate.
- Add the juice of ½ lemon and 1 Tablespoon zest, mixing just a few seconds. Add 1 egg and beat another 10 seconds (don't over mix).
- In a medium bowl, add 2 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk briefly to combine. See notes on how I measure the flour without weighing it.
- Add the flour mixture to the batter in two additions, mixing just to incorporate. Scrape down the bowl and mix until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the blueberries.
- Place about ½ cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Scoop batter with large cookie scoop (3 tbsp) if you want 18 cookies, medium cookie scoop (2 tbsp) if you want 24 cookies. Roll cookie in sugar, then shake off excess and place about 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. The cookie dough is pretty sticky, you might have to really work to get it out of the scoop. This is normal but if you find it too hard to work with, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then continue. Place about 6 cookies on each baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes for the large scoops, 8-11 for the smaller scoops, switching baking sheets in the oven half way through baking. Bake until the sides become golden and a bit on the top. The tops might still be pretty light, this is okay. They'll deepen as they cool.
- Repeat for a second batch of the dough. Alternately, you can scoop all the cookies, refrigerate some to be baked the second day.
Cook's Note:
- Cookies are best the day of baking but still delightful the next day. Leftover cookies must be covered in plastic wrap or placed in a plastic container and refrigerated until serving. Bring to room temperature before enjoying. If you forget to refrigerate them, the blueberries will bleed and the cookies become pretty soggy. Plus with the cream cheese in the cookies, they shouldn't be left out.
Equipment
Notes
I made these muffin cookies once last week and again today!!! they are DELICIOUS, and my kids LOVE them!
The best grab-and-go breakfast! This needs to happen soon in our house!
Um…these are amazing! I would tackle a loved one for the last of these cookies. Perfect sweetness level without being too sweet. Love all of the blueberries. Definiite hit!
Kim, this is the best comment I’ve received all month! You captured exactly how I feel about these cookies. 😀
Delicious! Loved making these!
These baked up to such a perfect muffin texture and were an absolute hit with the family!
Krista, thank you for taking the time to comment and I’m glad you all liked them!
Hubby and I loved these. Not too sweet, very flavorful, and not dry. Delicious Sally, thank you for sharing!
Hi Marissa, I’m so glad you both like them!
The whole family LOVED these! Absolutely bursting with flavor! So yummy!
Hi Amy, thanks for taking the time to let me know. They really are favorites around here!
YUUUMMM.. dropping over here. Could I use Almond flour instead of AP flour?
Hi Hanna, I haven’t made the cookies with almond flour but I think you totally could do this.
Blueberries and lemon are my favorite combination. I am making this soon! It looks easy and delicious. I think I will take it into my office.
Thanks, Traci! The lemon and blueberry in these cookies is a match made in Heaven. 🙂
Cant wait to try these! They look full of flavor and are so pretty!
Thanks so much, Robyn, I hope you love them as much as we do!
These cookies were so amazing! Super refreshing for the end of summer, but the seasons won’t stop me from craving them!
Julia, thank you for this wonderful sentiment! I’m so glad you liked the cookies.