This recipe is dedicated to my daughters, who I fondly refer to as my blueberry girl and my raspberry girl. You see, we spent countless hours together when they were young picking berries and each daughter had a preference for one or the other. These muffins are delightful using fresh blueberries or raspberries or a combination of both but what I like best about this recipe is that they are just as good with frozen berries. And, when you pick buckets of them in the summer to freeze in the winter this recipe comes in handy. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
1 2-litre (quart) heavy bottomed stainless steel pot
10 large paper muffin liners
KitchenAid stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
The streusel topping:
7tablespoons(3.5 ounces) unsalted butter
1cupall-purpose flour
½cupsugar
½teaspooncinnamon
¼teaspoonbaking powder
¼teaspoonsalt
optional: ¼ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
optional: 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juicethe lemon juice adds zip and crunch to the topping
Muffin batter:
1¾cupsall-purpose flour
½teaspoonbaking powder
¼teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
5½ouncesunsalted butter2/3 cup- cut into 1-inch pieces
2teaspoonslemon zestfinely grated
¾cupsugaryou can reduce the sugar to ½ cup if desired
1largeegg
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
2tablespoonslemon juicefreshly squeezed
½cupbuttermilk
1½cupsfresh or frozen rinsed blueberries or raspberries or a combination of both
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 10 of the muffin cups with large paper liners.
Make the streusel topping:
Heat the butter in the 2-litre stainless steel pot until just melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
Add the butter and then stir to create crumbs. If using, add the nuts and lemon juice.
Squeeze the mixture with your hand to compress it. Then let it break apart. Let it stand for 15 minutes before using it.
To make the muffin batter:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Add the cubed butter and lemon zest to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment blend on medium speed until well combined and until the butter has lightened in colour, about one minute.
While mixing, add the sugar in a steady stream. Scrape down the butter as necessary.
Add the egg and then blend for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, blend, and scrape down the side of the bowl a couple of times.
Turn the mixer down to low and alternate between adding the flour mixture and buttermilk. Start with the flour and add it in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 parts.
Add about a ¼ cup of the batter to the bottom of all the paper-lined muffin cups.
Evenly distribute the 1½ cups of fruit over batter, then top with more batter. Don't worry if the fruit is visible after topping with the batter.
Distribute the streusel topping over the 10 muffin cups. It will seem like there is way too much streusel topping but try to use it all. It will bake into the batter. Brush any stray crumbs off the muffin tin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the streusel is golden brown. If desired, rotate the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.
Remove from the pan and cool on a baking rack. Once cool, these muffins are good at room temperature for 3 days and they can be frozen for up to a month.