Bakery Style Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Ingredients

To make my Blueberry Streusel Muffins, you’l need the following simple ingredients:

• Blueberries: You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries for these muffins, though I prefer fresh. Whichever way you go, it’s important to toss the berries in a bit of flour before you add them to the muffin batter – this prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
• Flour, Butter, Sugar, Eggs: The pillars of nearly all baking. Plain or all-purpose flour is suitable for muffins. I always use unsalted butter for baking – if you only have salted butter, omit the added salt from this recipe. White sugar will give the best colour and not overpower the delicate blueberry flavour, though you can use brown sugar in the streusel topping if you like. I use German medium eggs, which are closer to a large in the rest of the world.
• Cinnamon and Vanilla and Lemon Zest: To add a pop of flavour and brightness.
• Hazelnuts: Hazelnuts add an incredible extra crunch and depth of flavour to the crumble/streusel topping. If you have allergies, simply leave them out.
• Buttermilk and Baking Powder: Buttermilk is the secret ingredient that adds tanginess and lift to the muffins as the acidity reacts with the baking powder. If you can’t get buttermilk, make a mixture of 75% natural unsweetened yoghurt and 25% water and use that instead. You can also substitute the buttermilk with sour cream for a richer result.
• Vegetable Oil: Using vegetable oil instead of butter in quick bakes like these ensures that the muffins are moist and delicious. If you prefer, you can replace it with cooled melted butter.

Instructions

Homemade Muffins are super simple to make, and with the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years, you’ll be a muffin-baking pro in no time. For detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. First, prepare your muffin tray. Lightly grease the cups and then line them with squares of baking paper or paper muffin liners. Greasing the tray prevents the paper from blowing around while you fill it!
2. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F /Gas 7. This oven temperature sounds really hot, but it helps to give the muffins extra spring. Don’t worry, we reduce the heat later in the recipe.
3. Next, make the streusel by melting the butter in a small saucepan, then mixing it roughly into the other streusel ingredients, creating a pebbly, rustic mixture. Transfer to the freezer while you prepare the batter.
4. To make the batter, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients in a jug, and toss the blueberries with a little of the flour mixture in separate bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold through the blueberries, taking care not to overmix as this can make the batter tough.
5. Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cases, sprinkle the streusel generously over the top, and then transfer to the hot oven. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190°C / 375°F / Gas 5. Large muffins will take 30 minutes, and smaller muffins will take only 15-20 minutes. Cool the muffins on a wire rack, then enjoy with a hot cup of coffee!