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).
Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
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
hi.i’m happy find another doable recipe!..could i sub buttermilk with fat free regular milk?
You *can*, but the acid in the buttermilk helps make the muffins super tender. If you’re worried about fat, you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup and then measure out the milk. Let it stand for about 10 minutes, then stir it up and use it just like buttermilk.
Hope that helps!
Made these this morning, they are delicious. To answer the whole-wheat question, I used 100% whole wheat flour, and it was great. I usually have this kind of luck when I grind the wheat myself, but not with store-bought whole wheat flour. I also subbed about 2/3 of the oil with applesauce, and there was no funny texture. Thanks for the recipe!
yummm! please tell me this works in a jar!
Just made these and they were amazing!!! Best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had, and so easy!!!!
I just stumbled upon your page and I’m in AWWW! All these wonderful receipes. I have been trying for months now to find a good bluberry streusel receipe and this it. Plus I’m about to throw my soon to be 5 yr old daughter a “tea party” for her birthday and your rainbow cupcakes are going to put her over the rainbow. Thank you SO much!!!
SO delicious! I love these muffins and I’ll definitely be making them again!
best.muffins.ever.
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Love muffins and have previously done a crumble on top but tried these and the streusel topping worked so much better. Have been looking for an alternative topping and I have found it. Thank you ladies.
Just made two batches of these. The flavor was fantastic but the crumb topping just melted into the top of the muffin (the first batch it actally melted and sunk INTO the muffin). What’s the secret to getting the crumb topping to look like your picture?!
Hey, Nikki! I’m so sorry I’m just getting back to you. You know, I can’t say for sure, but my guess would be that the butter crumbles may have been a little too small and maybe too warm. Sorry I can’t be of any more help!!
This is my third time making the blueberry muffins. I substituted applesauce for the oil. They are so great!!!! The aroma is just overwhelming. I can’t wait to eat one. Each time I have made them it was to give away. This time I am going to get at least one before I give them away. Everyone has raved about how delicious they are. I just can’t thank you enough for such a great recipe.
These are so yummy! Whenever I make them though, I usually get about 18. I also call them “Kate’s you’ll use every measuring cup and spoon and most of your mixing bowls but you’ll love these blueberry muffin recipe”
I just made these, after a complete blueberry muffin FAIL last week… these were perfect!! They were delicious and so yummy. Thanks!!!
These turned out really good. 🙂 I used white whole wheat flour since that’s what I had open in the pantry. I think next time I’d add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk or oil (or both) since the batter was pretty thick and the finished muffins are slightly dry. They still taste good, though. I added vanilla extract and grated nutmeg to my batter to bump up the flavor!
These turned out so great! Shared with a friend over coffee, thank you!
I love this blog–its totally gotten me excited about cooking again! Thanks for the awesome recipes and great pics to go along with them. Just made these muffins and they’re delicious!
Do these have to be made as muffins, or could you make these in a pan like a coffee cake? If so, about how long would you cook them? Can’t wait to try these!
I’m sure these could be made in a loaf pan or a 9×9″ pan…most quick bread recipes that I’ve made have been successful in pretty much any shape. If you do it in a bigger pan, probably start checking after 15-20 minutes but it’d probably take up to 30-40 minutes total. Just keep checking every 5ish minutes with a toothpick until it’s done.
I just found your blog a couple of weeks ago and I am in love!! I made these muffins this morning and they were delicious!!! I especially love the crumb topping! Thank you!!
Finally making these this weekend and can’t wait to smell them baking (and eat them, of course ;-)! Just a quick FYI, I tried to print the recipe but the page comes up blank. It might just be me but thought it was worth passing along in case it isn’t. Thanks for all of the great and yummy recipes you two share!
Just made these for dinner! Yummy.
just wanted to say your streusel topping is awesome! and for a semi-homemade muffin, i grabbed a betty crocker blueberry mix & then added your streusel. awesome!!! and so easy. i’m sure i’m not the first gal to think of doing this but i still wanted to share…big hugs!
Thank you thank you thank you… I love muffins, but hate those heavy, dry bricks that some recipes turn out. I’ve already made these several times, and they have become a family favorite! You girls are da bomb, and the new site looks awesome. Hugs!
I’m baking this right now as I type and it smells heavenly. I’ve been looking for a blueberry muffin recipe with crumb topping, Thank you!
Made these today and they were fabulous! The orange zest made them extra tasty. Thanks!!
Yum! I just made these with my daughter and they are great. Love the streusel topping!
We did have these for dinner the other night, and they were delicious!! I even made a double batch so we've been enjoying them for lunches yesterday, for snacks, and for breakfast today. A new favorite for my kids. Thanks!!
OK – I made your blueberry, streusel-topped muffins and now I'm completely addicted!!! :^)
Just tell me – do I HAVE to share them?
I just got my cookbook today! It and the food in it looks gorgeous. I can't wait for strawberry season to try those cream cheese-filled strawberries.
I made blueberry muffins this morning and looked to see if you had this recipe. Could have used it. I might just have to go get some more blueberries this week.
Nothing to do with the muffins, but I JUST GOT MY BOOK! Fed Ex just delivered it minutes ago. I am so excited!!!!
Oooh, I think a change of plans is in order and we're having breakfast for dinner tonight. Those look delicious!! Thanks!