I ask you: Is there any better breakfast food than a fresh-from-the-griddle blueberry pancakes, smothered in butter and flooded with pure maple syrup? My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Mmm, and there’s also blueberry pie, blueberry cobbler, blueberry tarts…the possibilities are endless.

Do you see where I’m going here? My name is Judi Gallagher, and I’m a blueberry-aholic.

But I really don’t feel bad about my blueberry addiction because blueberries are what nutritionists like to call a “superfood”: they’re full of antioxidants, omega-3s, omega-6s, and vitamins, and they work just as well in a smoothie as they do in a pie or tart.

I think my favorite blueberry treat, though, is the classic blueberry muffin. I like mine straight out of the oven, topped with a pat of butter, devoured in a few quick bites. It’s not unusual that a batch of blueberry muffins disappear in less than 24 hours from my house – and I’d like to say it’s because I give them to friends and family, but the truth is, I just can’t help myself.

The best blueberry muffins are dense but light, with a sturdy but not heavy crumb, laden with pockets of plump, moist blueberries.

Here are some tried-and-true tips to help your blueberry muffins be the best they can be:

1. Don’t overmix. This is a muffin death sentence.
2. Buttermilk is your friend when it comes to muffins.
3. If you want to use fresh blueberries (which I love), their season is summer, beginning in May. My favorite thing to do, whenever possible, is to pick them straight from the plant, then haul home a big bushel and get to baking.

And if you’re looking for a great blueberry muffin recipe that’s a little outside the box, here’s one I love that’s been adapted from the Gourmet magazine cookbook. Happy eating!

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

7 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Topping

3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Keep an eye on the butter.  Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan.  The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that.  Keep a close eye.  Remove from heat.

Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.  Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl  Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine.  Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.