Friday, October 29, 2010

Sweet Saturday: Blueberry Crumble Muffins

so I'm back and so is Sweet Saturday!
I thought about what I should include in SS's come back post
and I decided a super sweet recipe would definitely fit the bill 

The only problem was deciding what to make. 
The last couple of weeks I've been promising my sister I would bake her something while she was at school
(an act of procrastination? you betcha!) 
But, alas, I didn't quite get there. 

So yesterday as soon as I'd gone out and bought eggs I was in the kitchen, 
cooking up a storm (or muffins, if you want to be realistic) 

But these weren't just any muffins, 
they were Blueberry Crumble Muffins.
Picture your favourite blueberry muffin - moist, fluffy, full of blueberries.
Now add a crunchy, buttery, sugary crust on top.



My sister is the blueberry muffins number one fan.
She's a bit of a blueberry muffin connoisseur, so this muffin faced a tough critic!
 But I had promised her a recipe that didn't include any weird ingredients
(the girl does not like chia seeds or wheat bran or cakes made with butter substitutes) 

So she arrived home from school, blueberry muffins sitting pretty on the end of the bench.
I see a look of disgust on her face and she cries "Did you make bran muffins?!?"

After some reassuring that the crusty tops were infact a mix of brown sugar, flour and butter 
and the muffins were free of any bran - she tried one. 

Did I pass the test? 
Did my muffins meet the blueberry muffin connoisseur's criteria?

Well, she told me to keep the recipe
she told me to make them again
and she told me to post it on my blog.

I think that's a win, no? 
Especially when we're talking about the girl who always finds a problem with what I cook
(sisterly love) 

So here's the recipe,
I promise it won't let you down!

Blueberry Crumble Muffins 

150g butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup milk 
1 large egg 
1 large egg yolk 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour 
3/4 cup brown sugar 
1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
2 cups blueberries (see tip) 

For the topping: 
60g cold butter, cut into cubes 
1/2 cup plain flour 
3 1/2 tbsp brown sugar 

Preheat oven to 180*C.
Spray a muffin tray with cooking spray, or line with paper liners. 
In a bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg, yolk and vanilla. 
In another larger bowl, mix together sifted flour, baking powder and brown sugar.
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir gently to combine. 

Make the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the sugar and flour until there are no lumps of butter and the mix resembles bread crumbs. 

Add the blueberries to the muffin mix, being careful not to break the berries. 
Fill the muffin tins evenly, with the batter almost reaching the top of the cups. 
Sprinkle over an even amount of the crumble topping over each muffin. 

Bake until golden and crisp and a skewer inserted into the muffin removes clean (about 20-25 minutes for regular sized muffins, 30-35 minutes for texas sized muffins) 
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing onto a wire rack. 

Tips: 
- You can use fresh, canned or frozen blueberries (I used frozen this time)
- For frozen berries do not defrost as this will add too much extra liquid to the batter and you'll end up with bright purple muffins 
- When using canned blueberries, drain as much of the liquid off as possible
- When turning out the muffins onto a wire rack, place a cookie sheet underneath to catch any of the crumbly topping bits that fall off (trust me, they're the best part!) 

So tell me, 
What's your favourite baked treat? 
and are you a lover of the crunchy top, soft bottom or fluffy middle of a muffin?
(I'm a big fan of the crunchy top!)  

Have a fantastic weekend! 
Now that I'm finished with school and my exams, 
I'm planning on cooking and baking alot more. 
Do you have anything you'd like to see me make?



9 comments:

  1. ngaww.....=)
    I thought they were some sort of helathy muffin too when I first saw the pictures! in a good and delicious way of course....

    I'm also a fan of the crunchy top =)Especially when it comes straight out of the oven! Although, I also love the fluffy middle....

    Have a great weekend too!

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  2. Anything that's fresh out of the oven usually tastes good :P I hate making whole cakes because you have to wait to the very end to try it :P

    (But that doesn't stop me from taking the bits off the side of the pan - I mean what?)

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  3. Mmm...such good pictures!

    Those muffins looks so so delicious! I love crunchy tops on cakey goods! The combination of the textures makes it so much better!!!

    Hope you are having a great weekend.

    Jessica.

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  4. Thanks Jessica! Crunchy tops and cakey bottoms are the best of both worlds :P

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  5. reminds me of how much i wish i had some gingerbread streusel muffins left!! ur muffins are very YUMMERS. ps. glad ur back posting!!!! <3

    HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

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  6. Yum! Two in one baked treats-you just have to love that! :D

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  7. Kelsey - I'm glad to be back! :D and what better way than with muffins :P

    Lorraine - definitely! It's perfect for someone who can't make up their mind hehe

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  8. Oh those muffins looks delicious, I'm bookmarking this recipe! My favorite baked treat? Way too hard to choose one, but at this moment, I'd go for a good old fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. :)

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  9. Jamieanne they're delicious! and I bet you could substitute the blueberries for a number of different add-ins.
    Hmm, I wonder how a choc-chip version would work

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