One of the best things about living in New Brunswick in the summer? Beyond our fresh seafood, dreamy beaches, lighthouses, and let’s not forget epic whale watching – is our wild blueberries.
They’re quite legendary.
New Brunswick is home to over 175 wild blueberry farms that produce, package, and sell 50 million pounds of wild blueberries annually across Atlantic Canada and export to over 30 countries worldwide. In 2021, the wild blueberry industry in the province contributed $81 million to the provincial GDP.
See? Legendary!
During the summer, my go-to snack from the land is wild blueberries. I can’t resist them at the Farmers’ Market on the weekends and when we’re heading to and from the island house on Grand Manan Island, a stop at McKay’s Blueberries in Pennfield is always a must.
In fact, that’s where I picked up my fresh picked wild blueberries for this recipe!
If you happen to visit McKay’s, you’re going to want to bring home one of their fresh baked blueberry pies and treat yourself to their Blueberry Shortcake OR Blueberry Sundae. Both are out of this world and I can’t recommend them enough.
Fun Fact: 43% of all revenue generated by wild blueberries in the province comes from value-add products like these pies, tasty treats, and more!
So what’s my favourite way to enjoy New Brunswick wild blueberries?
There’s nothing I love more for breakfast on-the-go than fresh baked blueberry muffins.
In the summer, we spend a lot of time on the road and in my opinion, no road trip is complete without a batch of my favourite muffins. You can bet your bottom sand dollar, when we head to Campobello Island Seaglass Festival on Labor Day, my SUV has a stash of these just waiting to be enjoyed from a ferry or with my morning coffee on the deck at the cottage.
Unless you’re new around these waters, you know that I’m obsessed with sea salt and will add it to everything and anything. So this summer, I thought I would take my favourite summer blueberry muffin recipe and give it a New Brunswick wild blueberry AND sea salt twist!
There is a reason this blueberry muffin recipe is my go-to: it’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s low fuss.
I don’t even get out my KitchenAid mixer – it’s THAT easy.
This recipe includes all of the usual ingredients required for muffins (all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, vegetable oil, and a egg) but I switch things up by using Buttermilk instead of regular milk and I promise you – that makes ALL of the difference.
My wild blueberry muffin recipe also comes with a salty & sweet topping that is added once the muffins are in the tin, and let’s just say – that added touch is what makes it impossible to have just one of these muffins.
Are you ready to get started?
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these yummy wild blueberry muffins:
1 1/2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup of White Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil
1 Large Egg
1/3 Cup and 3 Tablespoons of Buttermilk – Give or take.
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 Cup of Fresh New Brunswick Wild Blueberries
And for the salty & sweet topping, you’ll need:
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup of Sea Salted Butter
1 1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
Sea Salt for Sprinkling
1. Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. This recipe yields about a dozen muffins if you’re making small muffins or half a dozen if you’re making jumbo muffins. Whichever you decide, grab your muffin baking tray and either grease the cups or use some paper liners. For road tripping purposes, I’m a big fan of using paper liners for low mess.
3. Start by whisking the following dry ingredients in a large bowl: Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt.
4. Next, pour your vegetable oil (I use Avocado Oil) into a measuring cup. Add your egg and then add enough Buttermilk to fill the measuring cup to the one cup mark. When I made this recipe, that took about 1/3 cup and 3 tablespoons of Buttermilk but depending on the size of your egg and thickness of your Buttermilk, this could vary. Whisk this mixture together.
5. Pour the liquid into your dry mixture and mix until your batter is well combined. Sprinkle in your Vanilla Extract. Carefully fold in your blueberries.
6. Next, you want to make your salty & sweet crumble topping. In a smaller bowl, combine Sugar, Flour, Butter, and Cinnamon. Mix with a fork until it’s crumbly.
7. Spoon your muffin mixture into the muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way to the top. They will rise when you’re baking them.
8. Sprinkle each muffin with your salty & sweet crumble topping and finish with a pinch of sea salt on each muffin. I put about a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt on each muffin.
9. Pop your muffin tray in the oven and baked for about 20-25 minutes. This recipe typically takes about 20 minutes in my oven, so start watching it around the 20 minute mark. Your muffins are done when you can remove a clean toothpick.
Again, I can’t even begin to express how easy these muffins are and they’re so tasty, you’ll definitely be making a second batch! I will add that the recipe yields A LOT of salty & sweet crumble, so I typically freeze whatever I don’t use, so that I have it already prepped when I make another batch of muffins. Alternatively, you can also half the recipe for the salty & sweet crumble topping.
Want to pick up fresh New Brunswick wild blueberries for your own recipes this summer?
Bleuets Wild Blueberries New Brunswick has a handy guide on their website that will show you where wild blueberries are available closest to you for purchase – just click here. You can also find fresh and frozen wild blueberries (depending on the season) at your local grocery store, Farmers’ Market, or country store.
If you try this recipe of yourself, I would LOVE to hear what you think and if you give it your own twist!
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: This post was created in partnership With Bleuets Wild Blueberries New Brunswick, but all opinions and love for our New Brunswick wild blueberries are my own. And I’m obsessed with them.
You can learn more about them at https://nbwildblue.ca/.