Description
Enjoy these bakery-style blueberry buttermilk muffins featuring a tender crumb with juicy blueberries and a sweet, crunchy crumble topping. Perfect for breakfast or a delightful snack, these muffins combine the moistness of buttermilk with a buttery streusel, baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Muffin Batter
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup cold buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, washed and dried
Additional Blueberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries, washed and dried (for topping and decoration)
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (for coating blueberries)
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with liners or lightly grease each cup with nonstick cooking spray.
- Coat blueberries: In a small bowl, toss 1 1/2 cups of blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour to prevent sinking in the batter. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a stand mixer bowl or mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the egg, followed by cold buttermilk and vanilla bean paste, mixing until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in blueberries: Gently fold the floured blueberries into the batter using a spatula or spoon to evenly distribute without crushing the berries.
- Fill muffin cups: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Top each muffin with 3-4 of the remaining 1/2 cup blueberries for decoration.
- Prepare crumble topping: In a medium bowl or a food processor, combine the 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and very cold butter pieces. Use a fork, pastry blender, or pulse 13-15 times in the processor until the mixture forms small crumbly pieces. Break up any large clumps by hand, avoiding warming the mixture.
- Apply topping and bake: Evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over each filled muffin cup. Place the muffins in the oven on the middle rack and bake at 425°F for 5-7 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature and finish baking: Without opening the oven door, lower the heat to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 15-18 minutes. Muffin tops should be lightly browned. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean.
- Cool and serve: Remove muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Coating the blueberries with flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins during baking.
- Use very cold butter for the crumble topping to achieve the perfect crumbly texture.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender and fluffy.
- The two-stage baking (high heat then reduced heat) helps the muffins rise quickly and then bake evenly without burning the tops.
- Vanilla bean paste adds a rich flavor, but pure vanilla extract can be substituted if needed.
