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Home » recipes » breakfast

Cardamom-Spiced Blueberry Jam Muffins

Modified: Apr 15, 2025 · Published: Jan 26, 2021 · by anita | wild thistle kitchen · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

  • 253
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe· 4.5 from 2 reviews

These Cardamom-Spiced Blueberry Jam Muffins are out of this world good. If you've never swirled jam into muffin batter, what are you waiting for? You must do it. It's about the easiest way to add fruity flavor all year long, especially in the dead of winter when it seems like there's no such thing as fresh, in-season fruit.

blueberry jam muffins with purple glaze on a marble surface

This recipe was born out of my desire to create a cardamom-scented muffin. It is such an intriguing, unique spice and I had a jar sitting in my pantry begging to be used. Did you know cardamom is the world's 3rd most expensive spice? Vanilla and saffron come in 1st and 2nd. Interesting little food nerd fact.

Anyway, blueberries were an obvious choice; Cardamom somehow makes blueberries taste more like blueberries while also adding an exotic, citrusy note. But a little goes a long way, so don't be heavy-handed. I found ⅛ teaspoon to be just right in the muffin batter and echoed in the jam and glaze. I wasn't sure how my kids would feel about the spice, but judging by the way they wolfed these down, still warm from the oven, I'm thinking they approve. My son very astutely observed that "they taste a little orangey" - that's the cardamom working its citrusy magic! Give these Cardamom-Spiced Blueberry Jam Muffins a try! (and feel free to use any jam you like!)

blueberry muffin in muffin tin with purple glaze dripping onto marble surface
blueberry jam muffins in tin and on marble surface with linen napkin

Glazing these cardamom-spiced blueberry jam muffins

The glaze is totally optional. If you follow along here or on Instagram, you'll know I've been mildly obsessed with using freeze-dried fruit in my recipes. Well, here's another example of my obsession. I pulverized some freeze-dried blueberries and made the most gorgeous, naturally purple glaze. You could also use some blueberry jam in your glaze if you don't have the freeze-dried berries. Or just forget the glaze because these little cakelets need no adornment.

blueberry jam muffin split open on small white plate

A few muffin tips and recipe notes:

These tips apply to these Cardamom-Spiced Blueberry Jam Muffins and to ALL muffins.

  • As with all recipes, read the whole thing before you begin any prep work. Get your ingredients together and make sure you understand the recipe.
  • Don't over-mix your batter. The lumpiest, ugliest muffin batter makes the lightest, moistest (yeah, I said it) muffins.
  • Grease the heck out of your tins, or use muffin liners. And even if you use liners, it doesn't hurt to still grease the tin a little so the batter doesn't stick around the edges. Baking spray such as Baker's Joy is perfect for this.
  • If you let your batter sit for about 20 minutes before you bake your muffins, they will get higher, straight-out-of-the-local-bakery domes.
  • I prefer standard sized muffins - I just think they are the perfect snacking size. But, you can turn any muffin batter into either mini muffins or giant muffins. Of course you will adjust the time up or down depending. 
blueberry jam muffin on small white plate
overhead of blueberry jam muffin on small white plate

More Muffinspiration:

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Chocolate Olive Oil Muffins with Chocolate Streusel 

Buttery Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Muffins

Peach Muffins

tower of blueberry jam muffins in vintage muffin tin
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Cardamom-Spiced Blueberry Jam Muffins

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.5 from 2 reviews

Print Recipe
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These Cardamom-Spiced Blueberry Jam Muffins are familiar and just a little but exotic, fragrant, and moist. So easy to whip up and don't skip that incredible, all-natural purple glaze!

  • Total Time: 38 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

dry:

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom

wet:

  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • ¼ cup flavorless oil such as grapeseed (feel free to use ½ stick of melted butter instead)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

blueberry jam filling:

  • ½ cup blueberry jam - I prefer Bonne Maman
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

blueberry glaze:

  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ cup finely crushed freeze-dried blueberries or 2 tablespoons blueberry jam
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

To prepare blueberry jam filling:

  1. Mix jam, cardamom, and vanilla together and set aside

To prepare muffins:

  1. Prepare muffin tins by spraying with baking spray or lining with paper muffin liners.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  3. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, set aside
  4. Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl or large, spouted measuring cup
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix gently until just combined. I use a large fork for this and then scrape around the sides and bottom with a soft, rubber spatula to finish. Remember, lumpy, ugly batter is a good thing here.
  6. Fill muffin cups half way with batter.
  7. Add one teaspoon of jam to each muffin cup.
  8. Fill muffin cups with remaining batter.
  9. Top each with one more teaspoon of jam, and using a chopstick or skewer, swirl jam from top to bottom and side to side.
  10. You can bake them right away, or let them sit at room temp for 20 minutes before baking to get an even higher rise (pro-tip - I always use this time to scurry around and clean up the mess I've made)
  11. Place in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until puffed, golden, and set. (this is a good time to make your glaze)
  12. Remove muffins from oven and let cool slightly before transferring to parchment lined surface where you will glaze them once cooled. (cookie sheet, cutting board, large platter).

 

To prepare glaze:

  1. Place all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and add just enough milk to make a smooth, pourable glaze. Add more confectioner's sugar if it's too thin, or more milk if too thick. You want it thin enough to pour, but thick enough so it doesn't all just run off the muffins.

To glaze muffins:

  1. Once muffins are cooled to room temp, spread or pour glaze any way you like. I like to drizzle it over the top, but you could also dip each muffin top.

Notes

If you are totally opposed to cardamom, use cinnamon or nutmeg or just leave the spice out - these will still be delicious.

likewise, feel free to use your favorite jam - I just love the blueberry/cardamom combo

  • Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Category: muffins, breakfast
  • Method: baking

Did you make this recipe?

Share a pic and tag @wild.thistle.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #wildthistlekitchen and make sure to leave a comment and star rating! Thank you!

  • 253

About anita | wild thistle kitchen

Hi, my name is Anita! Welcome to Wild Thistle Kitchen. This is where I share rustic, comforting, seasonal recipes (both sweet and savory!) as well as nostalgic food memories. I'm so happy you're here! xo - Anita

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    February 13, 2025 at 9:30 pm

    I made these tonight and the flavor was delicious but the batter was extremely thick and very hard to work with. I double checked the recipe and I didn’t forget anything so not sure if they’re supposed to be this way? They came out sorta dense and not very muffin textured.

    Reply
    • anita | wild thistle kitchen says

      February 14, 2025 at 8:52 am

      Hi Nicole. I'm glad you liked the flavor. The batter definitely should not have been extremely thick, but a muffin batter is more thick than a cake or cupcake batter. I need to update the recipe with gram measurements as it is very easy to over-measure flour when using cups. That's the only thing I can think of that would have caused such a thick batter. Thanks for the feedback. - Anita

      Reply
  2. Jo Copas says

    July 31, 2023 at 1:37 pm

    I made this recipe because I made some blueberry jam that turned out too sweet and needed a way to use it. I was very pleased with the results! The muffins taste terrific and are moist. The way you posted the instructions is amazing, so easy to follw. I will definately make these again. ( I tried to give these a high rating but I couldn't click on the star (a 5 by the way)

    Reply
  3. Emily says

    July 17, 2021 at 10:39 am

    Hi! Instead of blueberry jam can I use fresh blueberries for the filling? Or will this mess up the consistency?

    Reply
    • anita | wild thistle kitchen says

      July 18, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      Hi Emily! You can definitely use fresh blueberries and it will be delicious! You won't have the jammy layers, but you'll have a very good blueberry muffin. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  4. Julia says

    June 28, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Hi! These sound delicious! Do you think I can make them gluten free and just switch the flour? Or do you think that will change the texture too much?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • anita | wild thistle kitchen says

      June 29, 2021 at 8:47 am

      Hi! I think if you used a cup-for-cup flour blend like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur they would probably be ok. But I haven't tried it so don't throw muffins at me if they don't turn out. lol. But seriously, I think they'd be really good. 🙂 Let me know! xoxo - Anita

      Reply
  5. Brittany says

    June 25, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    Isn't 1 stick of butter equal to 1/2 cup of oil? Should I swap the oil for 1/2 stick of butter?

    Reply
    • anita | wild thistle kitchen says

      June 25, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      Yes! Thanks for catching my error. Fixing it now. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Ally says

    January 26, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Hi! These look amazing! Would I be able to make them/any tips in making them without the jam center (as sac religious as that would be!). Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • anita | wild thistle kitchen says

      January 26, 2021 at 4:01 pm

      Hi! Thank you! Sure, you can leave the jam out if you'd like. Would you still put some jam on top? Or you could just serve them with jam. It is a nice, blank slate muffin recipe and would be very good without the jam. Let me know if you have any more questions! - Anita

      Reply
      • Ally says

        January 26, 2021 at 4:09 pm

        Ah thanks so much! What a quick reply. Would you bake them the same amount of time? Thanks!

      • anita | wild thistle kitchen says

        January 26, 2021 at 4:49 pm

        You are so welcome! I would start with 15 minutes and give them a check. Without the extra moisture from the jam I think they would be done in the lesser amount of time. Let me know how it goes! Thanks so much for stopping by! - Anita

  7. chef mimi says

    February 13, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    What a fabulous idea! It's been years since I've made muffins. I used to make a lot of quick breads when my kids lived at home, but now, not so much. But my grand daughter would love to help out making these - especially the glaze!

    Reply
    • Anita Parris Soule | Cook on a Whim says

      February 13, 2019 at 4:54 pm

      Thank you Mimi! This makes me so happy. I hope you and your granddaughter will make them! Let me know if you do. ❤️

      Reply

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Hi there! My name is Anita - welcome to Wild Thistle Kitchen - where I share lots of sourdough and sourdough discard recipes as well as seasonal sweet and savory comfort food and baking recipes.

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