When I was a kid, my mom’s plan was to teach me to cook so I would someday be a somewhat functional adult. I mean, we all kind of plan that, or at least think about it sometimes, right? Before she died when I was 9, I hadn’t learned a whole lot, but I had a handful of things in my repertoire: Melted Cheese on a Plate (which is exactly what it sounds like–I would put shredded cheese on a plate, melt it, and eat it with a fork like a very classy girl.) Sausage and Sauerkraut (because what 9-year-old doesn’t make that for all her friends? No wonder people thought I was weird.) Campbell’s Tomato Soup made with milk instead of water. Pancakes. And blueberry muffins.
These are not the blueberry muffins of my childhood; these are much better blueberry muffins. They have cinnamon streusel on them and lemon zest in in them and they’re easy to make with stuff you probably either have on hand or can easily get. They are perfect for breakfast or brunch or “hey, I’m feeling snacky, but I have to wear a bra to the grocery store, so it’s either blueberry muffins or melted cheese on a plate again.” Here’s a little life tip: blueberry muffins are almost always better than melted cheese on a plate (notice I didn’t say always, because hey, we all have our dark times.)
time to make the muffins
For these, you’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, orange or lemon rind, baking powder, buttermilk, eggs, oil (although you can sub apple sauce if you want to healthify these a little), blueberries, and sugar for the muffins
You’ll also need butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel topping.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder and salt,
sugar,
and citrus peel.
Make a well in the center of the mixture.
Place the the egg, buttermilk, and oil in a smaller bowl…
Whisk them together and add the mixture to the dry ingredients,
stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter.
Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter
and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.
Then you should eat ’em (because they are muffins and that’s what you do).
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Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
Description
These are the BEST streusel-topped blueberry muffins ever, but they are also quick and easy made from pantry staples!
Ingredients
Muffins
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon sugar
STREUSEL TOPPING
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, and citrus peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.
Questions & Reviews
Yummmm. I'm so glad you posted this because I haven't found a good from-scratch muffin recipe yet, and I never seem to have the expensive box ones on hand. Yay!
Thank you! I was JUST looking through my cookbooks this morning for a blueberry muffin recipe!!
They look yummy…can you hear the growl of my stomach? I am always on the look out for more muffins to make for friend baskets! 🙂
I love any recipe with streusel in it. Making these today for lunch! Can't wait to hear the results of the cookbook giveaway…:)
I love blueberry muffins thanks for recipe. I will try this one. Thanks. Paulette
Oh my yum!!!
Just last week I came here looking for a blueberry muffin recipe and was sure that it was in your cookbook since it wasn't here. So I reminded myself that there's another reason I still need to buy that book. I was happy to see that you posted this recipe today because I still had blueberries! Not anymore. They're in yummy muffins. I didn't do the streusel top, just because I'm lazy. They still turned out great. I've been looking for a go-to blueberry muffin recipe and finally found it!
Yum yum! Know what I'm making for breakfast this weekend…Thanks!
love it 🙂
made this for breakfas side dish ……LOVE IT
Oh my word!!!! I just bought fresh blueberries yesterday then I got your update today. Yummy, yummy, yummy and I might add very easy to make. I always find it unnerving to add liquid to the dry, I usually do it the other way because I am afraid it won't blend well but it did today! Looking forward to your secret, hope it's something us Canadians can use. Putting pictures of the muffins on your facebook! PS. Thanks for this recipe!
Coating the blueberries in the flour/sugar mix keeps the berries from sinking to the bottom of the batter by basically creating a "glue" around each berry which helps to suspend it in the batter. One doesn't have to add the sugar to the mix as the flour alone is all that is necessary. 🙂 (but it does add an extra bit of sweetness)
My brother's roommate adores blueberry muffins so every time I visit I make sure to have a batch in tow. This will be next one I try!
The reason for stirring some of the flour in with the blueberries before adding them to the batter is to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom. 🙂 It's a great trick but have to admit I don't know why or how it works. LOL
Oh my! Those look way too good.
Buoni !! I love blueberries and muffins!! Yummy 😉
Who won/win (?!!) the giveaway?!
Abbracci from Italy.
For once and I mean ONCE, I have blueberries and buttermilk … there is a God in HEaven!! YUMMIE!! Thank you for the recipe, I'm off to the kitchen 🙂
those look fantastic!
Is there a secret to keeping the crumble from melting? I have not had much luck, even when I keep the butter really cold.
Steph, that's weird! I have no idea!
Crystal–that's my guess. I'm thinking the flour kind of soaks up the juices while they're baking so the muffins don't get too much moisture in them and the sugar mixes with the flour to make a little syrup in each bite.
Also, mixing the berries with the flour will help so they don’t settle to the bottom of the muffin.
Just wondering why you stirred the blueberries in flour and sugar…is it so the color doesn't run?
Totally keeps them from sinking when you bake 🙂 try this with anything you add muffins ote cakes! Pure magic!
Yum! I wish I had one right now! Definitely would brighten up my Monday!
Looks yummy!
I once tried blending the blueberries into the muffin batter (in hopes that my kids might try them that way) and it did something funky. Made me wonder if there's something in the actual blueberries that reacted with the rest of the muffin mix, or just because I'd used a blender on the batter. Do you know? (And I won't be trying it that way again either 🙂
Steph – You know how in quick bread recipes it says to stir in the dry ingredients “just until moistened”? That could be what the problem was with your batter in the blender experience. Over stirring (or blending) changes the texture and moistness of your end product. Don’t know if it has to do with the leavening agents, the gluten in the flour, etc, but I know that when I over-stir my biscuit dough they end up dry and almost tough.
Or it might have something to do with the consistency of your batter. Since the blueberries are usually suspended in the batter as opposed to being part of it, your dry to liquid ratio may have gotten out of whack when you blended them. Just a thought.
I'm putting this on my must try list. I have yet to find a great blueberry muffin recipe.
Oh how I love me some blueberry muffins…but they've GOT to have crumb topping. So this recipe is perfect!!
I don't want to talk about muffin tops either…sore subject right now with warm weather around the corner. sigh.
Wow these look great! I've been using my MIL recipe for years and have become disenchanted. Really I mean what are muffins without the proper pouffy muffin tops? (ours have been flat…) The only difference between yours and hers is 1/4 tsp less baking powder and buttermilk. The buttermilk has got to make the difference! Now lets see if I fall in muffin love again… Here's hoping!! (plus I need a good birthday pick-me-up as i've got one down w/ possible stomach flu and one at school w/ sinus issues and surgery later this week!!)
Even though I love blueberry muffins…okay any muffins…I'm more interested in what your super exciting little secret is!
mmm, yummy!
I love a muffin recipe that has butter milk in it. And the streusel puts it over the top for me. Thanks for this one!
Gah! Seriously?! Where was this recipe LAST week?? 🙂 I made blueberry muffins just last Wednesday and was bummed you didn't have a recipe. I'll have to try this out next time….