Blueberry muffins hold a special place in our hearts. Growing up, most weekend mornings, our mom would pull out her big yellow bowl and whip up a batch of these tender, juicy blueberry muffins. Now, we’ve added a brown sugar crumble topping that takes these muffins to the next level.
The secret to these blueberry crumb muffins is a touch of almond extract. It adds a delicious bakery-style flavor that makes these muffins irresistible.
Tips for the Best Blueberry Muffins
- Almond Extract: A little almond extract goes a long way, giving the muffins that delicious bakery-style taste.
- Soften the Butter: Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for better creaming with the sugar, resulting in lighter muffins.
- Mix Dry Ingredients Separately: Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a separate bowl before adding to the wet ingredients for even distribution.
- Folding the Batter: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to tough muffins, so use a spatula instead of an electric mixer.
- Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients: To keep the batter fluffy, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk. Start with ⅓ of the dry, then half the milk, another ⅓ of the dry, the remaining milk, and finish with the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients.
- Blueberries: Both fresh and frozen blueberries work, but fresh ones keep the batter from turning purple.
- Fold in Blueberries Gently: Be gentle when folding in the blueberries to avoid crushing them and turning the batter blue.
Tips for the Best Crumble
- Key to Crumbs: Use the large crumbs that form on top of the bowl and pack them on top of the muffins. The fine, powdery part will dissolve into the muffin.
- Flavor: The basic crumble has a brown sugar butter flavor, but you can add cinnamon, cardamom, or other spices if desired.
Blueberry Crumb Muffins
Ingredients
#### Muffins
- – ½ cup softened butter 113 grams
- – 1 cup sugar 200 grams
- – 2 eggs
- – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- – ½ teaspoon almond extract
- – 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 grams
- – 1 tablespoon baking powder 14 grams
- – ½ teaspoon salt 3 grams
- – 1 cup whole milk 240 grams
- – 1.5 pints blueberries
#### Crumb Topping
- – 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180 grams
- – ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar 150 grams
- – ½ teaspoon salt 3 grams
- – 6 tablespoons melted butter 85 grams
Instructions
#### Crumb Topping
- In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt.
- Pour in the melted butter and mix until large crumbs form. Set aside.
#### Muffin Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy. Slowly add the sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and eggs one at a time, mixing until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- On low speed or using a spatula, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Start with ⅓ of the flour mixture, then add ½ of the milk, another ⅓ of the flour, the remaining milk, and finally the last ⅓ of the flour mixture.
- Gently fold in the blueberries. Scoop the batter into 12 muffin wells.
- Top each muffin generously with the crumb topping, using the large crumbs and leaving out any excess powder.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.