How Do Ritz-Carlton And Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Differ?

Blueberry muffins are breakfast essentials. There are countless variations on the baked good, but is there truly a blueberry muffin recipe that can be called the best? Two popular blueberry muffin recipes — one from the Boston Ritz Carlton Hotel and the other from the defunct New England department store Jordan Marsh — both hold claim to the title. But there are some key differences.

According to the New York Times, these recipes have both been tied to the "best" title for nearly 40 years. It all started after Times writer Marian Burros shared an adapted version of the blueberry muffin recipe from the Ritz Carlton. A few years later, a reader challenged that recipe with one from Jordan Marsh, which turned out to be an adaptation from a recipe first published by Esther Howland in the 1847 cookbook, "The New England Economical Housekeeper, and Family Receipt Book." So, what makes these recipes so good — and so different?

The Ritz Carlton blueberry muffin recipe came to be more than 50 years ago as the then-pastry chef aimed to improve on the hotel's original recipe. His successor adapted the recipe further, and it was this new version in the early 1980s that eventually caught the attention of Burros at the New York Times — and thus, made its way into the kitchens of countless muffin enthusiasts. Food reviewer Kelsey Lynch describes the Ritz's recipe as "the epitome of luxury." She says the muffins have a perfectly moist texture and they're bursting with blueberry flavor.

The Ritz Carlton recipe calls for five eggs and 10 tablespoons of butter, which help to give the muffins their rich, cake-like texture. These muffins are dense, with a pronounced buttery flavor, but fans say despite the richness, they're not overly sweet. This recipe also calls for using whole blueberries, not crushed, which helps to give the muffins those flavorful bursts of blueberry in every bite.

Jordan Marsh's recipe was developed to offer a more "home-baked" flavor that would better resonate with its shoppers. "To me, there's no other recipe for homemade blueberry muffins," The Kitchn's assistant food editor Sheela Prakash says of the muffins. "I grew up with the real deal from the department store, and long after they closed all my family and friends continued to make them." 

The Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins are noticeably lighter than those from the Ritz, using just two eggs to the Ritz's five. The recipe also uses slightly less butter, resulting in an airier texture that's more common in muffins versus the dense and cakey texture of the Ritz muffins. The muffins are also slightly sweeter than the Ritz's, using a quarter cup more sugar; the Jordan Marsh recipe also calls for sprinkling sugar on top of the muffins before baking, further adding to its sweet flavor profile.

But it's the use of blueberries that is the most noticeable difference between the two recipes. Jordan Marsh's recipe calls for crushing some of the blueberries and gently folding them into the batter. Those mashed berries are the highlight according to Prakash, adding a berry flavor to every bite.