Are they dessert or breakfast? Does it really matter? You’ve landed in blueberry paradise and you’re going to love every single bite! These soft blueberry muffin cookies are irresistible. Packed with blueberries and brightened with a hint of lemon, these cakey cookies taste like muffin tops and are so easy to make. Top with sparkling sugar and a sweet lemon glaze for a truly unforgettable treat!
As soon as I made a successful batch of lemon ricotta cookies, I knew I was in trouble. A giant new world of cakey soft cookies was right in front of me and I couldn’t soften butter quickly enough (check out that trick if you haven’t already– it might come in handy!). While dense and chewy cookies will always have my heart, I have definitely undervalued soft, cakey cookie for too long.
Adapted from my blueberry muffins, these blueberry muffin cookies tastes like a cross between blueberry muffins, blueberry scones, and butter cookies. You will INHALE them.
Tell Me About these Blueberry Muffin Cookies
- Texture: The super-soft cookie contrasts beautifully with the crunchy sugar-coated top and crumbly edges. (Same great textures you experience when you eat scones.)
- Flavor: Rich buttery centers with juicy sweet-tart blueberries, a sugary coating, and a tangy lemony glaze. What’s not to love here?
- Ease: Simple. With fresh, easily accessible ingredients, anyone can make these mouthwatering cookies.
- Time: With minimal chill time, you can have 3 dozen cookies prepped and ready to bake in about an hour.
Video Tutorial
Blueberry Muffin Cookies: What Works & What Doesn’t
Here are a few tips and helpful hints I learned while testing these blueberry muffin cookies.
- Be careful with those blueberries. Fold them in very gently. If you’re too rough with the batter, the berries can burst and tint your cookie dough green.
- Minimal dough chilling. The dough is thick– sort of like a cross between cake batter and cookie dough. When you have an especially thick cookie dough, that usually means it’s sturdy enough for minimal dough chilling. Just cover it and pop it in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes before scooping and baking.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
Even if you have a shocking amount of self-control around baked goods, these blueberry muffin cookies are too tempting to resist. These key ingredients/additions will make sure of it:
- Coarse sugar: For a contrast of texture, the cookies can be sprinkled with coarse sugar before going into the oven. You could also sprinkle it on top as the baked cookies cool. Either way, you’re promised a sparkly crunch. I love adding coarse sugar to my strawberry biscuit cookies, too.
- Lots of blueberries: Every bite of this cookie has a juicy blueberry. They’ll burst open, leaving beautiful purple streaks down the tops, which look beautiful under the lemon glaze. (Who isn’t a sucker for a pretty cookie?)
- Lemon glaze: Smooth lemon glaze finishes the blueberry muffin cookies. This glaze is slightly different from the lemon glaze on my lemon ricotta cookies. I subbed some half-and-half in for the lemon juice so it’s a little creamier. You can skip the dairy entirely and just use all lemon juice if you prefer.
While these blueberry muffin cookies taste good without the crunchy sugar topping and lemon glaze, they definitely taste better with both.
Use a Cookie Scoop
This is a thick and sticky dough, so a cookie scoop is ideal. Scoop 1.5 Tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto the baking sheet, evenly spacing them 3 inches apart. I like this cookie scoop for measuring the dough.
If You Love Blueberries:
- Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Homemade Blueberry Pie
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Blueberry Muffin Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 32-36 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from my Blueberry Muffins, these soft and cakey blueberry muffin cookies are completely irresistible. Packed with blueberries and a hint of lemon, these cake-like cookies taste like muffin tops and are so easy to make. Top with sparkling sugar and lemon glaze for a truly unforgettable cookie!
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (about 1 and 1/2 6-ounce packages)*
- optional for a little crunch: coarse sugar
Lemon Glaze
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) half-and-half (or heavy cream or milk)
Instructions
- Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and milk. Beat everything just until incorporated. Do not overmix. Dough will be very creamy, sticky, and thick. With a spoon or rubber spatula, carefully fold blueberries into cookie dough. Handle with care because some may break a little. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes and up to 2-3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop cookie dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons each, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle each with a little coarse sugar. Gives the cookies an extra crunch. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until a cookie springs back when lightly poked with your finger. (That’s how I test them!)
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and half-and-half together until smooth. Add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more lemon juice/half-and-half to thin, if desired. Spoon over cookies. If applied lightly, the glaze will set within a couple hours.
- Glazed cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (see step 2), but you can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking. Unglazed and baked cookies freeze well for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before glazing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Spatula | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Coarse Sprinkling Sugar
- Blueberries: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw. Frozen blueberries have the tendency to bleed quite a bit in the batter/dough. I prefer to use fresh.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: blueberry muffin cookies
Delicious warm it up in the microwave
★★★★★
Gone before I ever get to glaze! I have made these 4 times now upon many requests from the kiddos. I have never got to the glazing part because they are always gone before they completely cool down! When I made them the first time I did not have any milk so I used 0 fat Greek yogurt instead and they turned out delicious. I make them every time this way because of the hit they were. They are more requested than chocolate chip cookies (which is hard to be in my house) all 3 kids youngest to oldest love them!
★★★★★
Made these using frozen blueberries and really should try this again using fresh instead to keep the best color. Using frozen made it hard to scoop the dough and of course they are purple but still taste terrific. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Made these for a baby shower. Everyone loved them! I did struggle with the batter because I used frozen blueberries and they would not fold in. I had to make each cookie by hand to get the blueberries in there without breaking them. It worked great. Delicious taste and texture! Would make again with fresh blueberries or jam.
Just made these and they turned out perfect! We have citrus allergies so I just used heavy cream in lieu of lemon juice and used frozen wild blueberries because that was what we had on hand and they were so yummy! Tasted just like a blueberry muffin! We will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
Awesome recipe!! In addition to fresh blueberries, I added dried blueberries. It was a hit in my family, it did not last. You are my go-to for all my baking needs!
★★★★★
I’m excited to try this recipe. What tips do you have for converting other muffin recipes to make cookies? I bake about 100 cookies for a group each week and like to vary the selection.
Hi Margaret, you can use this muffin cookie recipe as your base and add other add-ins such as chopped apples, chocolate chips, nuts, etc. I have hundreds of cookie recipes published on my website if you want to browse other options.
Sally is my go-to for every recipe, but sadly this one is a miss. I’ve made them twice and the end result is actually quite good, but the dough is such a mess – and like a previous commenter said you kind of have to “build” the cookies. The blueberries do not stay in the dough at all.
★★★
Same! Awesome flavor but they’re messy and don’t travel or store very well.
I was in a cookie baking frenzy awhile back and made these. SO good!
I had such great responses from all that tried them, that I entered them in my work party potluck. They were the 1st place winner for ‘best sweet dish’! : ) Thanks for the great recipe. *side note, use regular lemons and NOT Meyer lemons. Regular was definitely better.
★★★★★
I would say they are more like a muffin crossed with a scone. I like several of your recipes, but this one is just ok. Probably won’t make them again.
★★★
I decided to write this review although I do believe my experience is not the norm for this cookie. I purchased some beautiful, delicious blueberries. They were larger than most blueberries and I was afraid they would go bad if I did not use them in something (muffins, etc) soon. First of all, let me say the cookies are DELICIOUS! Although I had such a bad time with the recipe, it made no difference to my family. Even my husband, who is not given to care much for sweets, ate several right away.
Because the blueberries were so big my cookies ended up being larger than directions said to make them. I didn’t break but a few blueberries in the making but once they were in the oven many broke, I guess it was the heat. Also, as mentioned by several people, the dough was sticky and very difficult to work with. I ended up having to sort of “build” each cookie. Lastly, the taste was great but the texture was downright soggy. I have no idea why that happened. I was very careful to follow the recipe re ingredients and amounts. The sogginess of the cookies kept me from giving them to neighbors as I’d planned to do, but they were eaten anyway.
Keen to try this recipe but want to know if it will still work out with dairy-free milk alternatives?
Hi Dalina, Feel free to use nondairy milk if you’d like.
Fresh and well-balanced flavors
★★★★★
Absolutely love your recipes! However, there’s daunting question. Why does my glaze looks so translucent compared to yours?
Hi Jasmine, it could be a difference in the brand of confectioners’ sugar making it look less thick/more translucent than you see in the pictures. Feel free to add more confectioners’ sugar to reach your desired thickness. Hope you love the cookies!
My husband loved them, perhaps one of your best cookie recipes. I am baking them again as we speak.
This recipe tastes good (definitely kid approved) but it definitely needs the glaze and sprinkled sugar for the best experience. I found that there was to many blueberries and I had a hard time getting the batter to hold together when I was scooping it out. I’ll probably reduce it some next time and see if it works better. I’m not sure if I’d classify them as a cookie since the taste just like a blueberry muffin. Overall, they’re good.
★★★★
I love making cookies…and love sharing them with neighbors and friends! This one is an A+++…but I knew this going in. Thank you Sally, I read all of your baking tips and apply them. AT 60 YEARS OLD , and decades of baking, I have learned so many important tips and my baking has gone from great to awesome. I am excited with every one of your recipes, knowing if I follow my mentor’s advice, I will produce another favorite every time! Thank you for sharing your talent with us!!!
★★★★★
This recipe is a keeper. Just made this a second time for a work event and it’s been a hit! For such a bakery style made-from-scratch cookie, they are as easy to make as your basic chocolate chip but are super impressive. The coarse sugar really adds to the tasting experience. For those wondering, the first time I didn’t have lemons so I used lemon extract in lieu of lemon juice/zest. Everyone liked them but I personally felt it overpowered and had a slightly chemical aftertaste so go easy on the extract if you go that route. The second time I used fresh squeezed juice and it was yummy and tangy. Don’t overbake or it will has more of a scone texture and not muffin-like fluffiness. Looking forward to experimenting with other fruits/flavors in the future. I highly recommend this recipe be added to anyone’s regular cookie rotation! Thank you Sally, anytime I need something impressive to bring or to get out of a baking rut, I always know where to look!!
★★★★★