Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin Recipe: Why Everyone Still Gets It Wrong

If you grew up in New England anywhere between the 1950s and the late 90s, the smell of a department store didn't just mean perfume samples and new leather shoes. It meant blueberries. Specifically, the massive, sugar-crusted tops of the muffins from the Jordan Marsh bakery.

Honestly, it’s kinda wild that a clothing store became the gold standard for a breakfast pastry. But here we are, decades after the last Jordan Marsh was swallowed up by Macy’s, and people are still obsessed with finding the "real" recipe. Most versions you find online are close, but they miss the little technical quirks that made the originals legendary.

You’ve probably seen the King Arthur version or the one from the New York Times. They're good. But if you want that specific, purple-tinted, bakery-style crumb that John Heffernan (the man who baked these for 45 years) used to produce, you have to get your hands a little dirty. Literally.

The Secret Technique Nobody Talks About

Most modern bakers are terrified of overmixing. We're told to "fold gently" until just combined. While that’s generally good advice, the Jordan Marsh blueberry muffin recipe actually relies on a specific mashing technique that most people skip because it feels messy.

Basically, you take about a half-cup of your blueberries and you crush them. I don’t mean just pressing them; I mean mashing them into a jammy pulp before they ever hit the batter. When you fold that pulp in, it does two things. First, it tints the entire muffin a beautiful, moody lavender. Second, it ensures that even the bites without a whole berry still taste like blueberry.

Then there's the hand-scooping.

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Legend has it that the bakers at the Downtown Crossing flagship didn't use tidy little scoops. They used their hands to drop the batter into the tins. It sounds a bit "old school" for 2026 health standards, but that lack of compression is what kept the muffins from getting dense. They were piled high—way above the rim of the pan—which is why they had those iconic "mushroom tops."

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin Recipe (The Real Deal)

Don't go looking for fancy flour here. You don't need almond meal or ancient grains. This is a blue-collar Boston recipe. It’s butter, sugar, and a lot of berries.

The Dry Goods

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (don't sift it yet)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

The Wet Goods

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for the tops)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

The Stars

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• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (Don't use the tiny wild ones for this; you want the big, fat cultivated ones for that juice explosion.)

How to Actually Make Them

1. Cream the hell out of the butter and sugar. This is where most people fail. You aren't just mixing them; you're aerating them. Use a stand mixer. Let it go for 5 or 6 minutes until the mixture looks like pale, fluffy clouds.
2. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat them in well. Then splash in your vanilla.
3. The alternating dance. Add about a third of your flour mixture, then half the milk, then flour, then milk, and finish with flour. Do this on the lowest speed. If you overwork the gluten here, you're baking a hockey puck.
4. The Mashing. Take 1/2 cup of those berries and smash them with a fork. Fold that purple mess into the batter.
5. The Folding. Toss the remaining 2 cups of whole berries with a tablespoon of flour (this stops them from sinking to the bottom) and fold them in by hand.
6. The Sugar Crust. This is non-negotiable. Grease your muffin tin—and the top of the tin, too, because these babies will spread. Fill the cups to the very brim. Then, take a fistful of granulated sugar and shower the tops. You want a thick, gritty layer.

Bake them at 375°F for about 25-30 minutes. You’re looking for golden edges and a top that feels like a sugar cookie.

Why Your Muffins Keep Sticking

There’s a lot of debate about paper liners. The "purists" say no liners. They want that buttery, slightly fried edge that comes from the batter hitting a greased tin.

But honestly? Use the liners.

These muffins are so packed with fruit that they are structurally unstable when they're hot. If you try to pry a liner-less Jordan Marsh muffin out of a tin before it's completely cold, the bottom is staying in the pan. It's a tragedy. If you must go liner-free, you have to be incredibly aggressive with the butter and flour on the tin.

The Arnold Gitlin Connection

For years, we thought this recipe was just some anonymous bakery creation. But back in 2023, the history got a lot clearer. A woman named Mara Richmond reached out to the New York Times to set the record straight: her father, Arnold Gitlin, was the one who developed it.

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He was an executive food consultant for Allied Stores (which owned Jordan Marsh). He actually adapted the base from an 1847 cookbook called The New England Economical Housekeeper. It’s sort of poetic—a mid-century department store staple that’s actually a Victorian-era secret.

It explains why the recipe feels so sturdy. It’s built on 19th-century proportions where "light and airy" wasn't as important as "satisfying and flavorful."

Common Pitfalls and Misconceptions

People try to "health" this up. They use 2% milk or swap butter for oil.

Stop.

The whole appeal of the Jordan Marsh blueberry muffin is the decadence. If you use oil, you lose the "short" texture of the crumb. If you use skim milk, the muffins won't brown properly. This is a treat, not a protein bar.

Another mistake is using frozen berries without adjusting. If you use frozen, do not mash them. They already release enough moisture as they thaw in the oven. If you mash frozen berries, your muffins will turn a weird, unappetizing grey-green instead of that vibrant purple.

Actionable Tips for the Perfect Batch

• Room Temp Everything: If your milk is cold, it will curdle the creamed butter. Take your eggs and milk out an hour before you start.
• The Cooling Period: You have to wait. I know, it’s hard. But these muffins need at least 20 minutes in the pan to set. If you move them too soon, the "jam" from the mashed berries will cause the muffin to collapse.
• Storage: These actually taste better on day two. The sugar on top softens slightly, and the moisture from the berries migrates into the crumb. Store them in a container, but leave the lid slightly cracked so the tops don't get soggy.

What to do next

• Check your baking powder: If it’s been in your pantry for more than six months, toss it. These muffins need a massive lift to get that iconic dome.
• Pick up "Cultivated" berries: Look for the large, blue-black berries at the store, not the tiny "wild" ones, to get the right juice-to-cake ratio.
• Prepare your tin: Liberally grease the flat top surface of your muffin pan; since these muffins are filled to the brim, the tops will spill over and stick to the metal if it isn't greased.