Crumb-Topped Blueberry Muffins
Domed muffins started in a hot oven so they rise before the blueberries can drag them down, finished with a crunchy streusel crust.
- Serves
- 12
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Written
Method
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Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
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Make the streusel by rubbing the ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon, cold butter, and 3 tablespoons of the flour between your fingers until it forms coarse, pea-sized clumps, then chill it while you make the batter.
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Whisk together the remaining flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
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Toss the blueberries with a spoonful of the flour mixture to coat.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just until no streaks of flour remain, then fold in the blueberries — the batter should be lumpy, not smooth.
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Divide the batter among the muffin cups, mounding it well above the rim, and scatter the streusel over the tops.
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Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, without opening the door, lower the oven to 350°F and continue baking until the tops are golden and a skewer comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes more.
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Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool the rest of the way.
Notes
The hot start is what gives these a real bakery dome instead of a flat top — the initial blast sets the edges and pushes the center up before the batter has a chance to spread. Don’t skip the flour toss on the blueberries either; it’s the only thing standing between you and a muffin with all the fruit sunk in the bottom half.
Frozen blueberries go in straight from the freezer, no thawing — thawed ones bleed purple through the whole batter. Swap in raspberries or diced peach in the same amount if that’s what’s around, and the streusel keeps in the freezer for a couple weeks if you want to double a batch ahead.