Alyssa Ponticello // In Good Taste

View Original

Berry Crumble Muffins

runwaychef

When it comes to holiday food, breakfast seems to be a forgotten meal. And while I'm all about some Thanksgiving turkey or 4th of July burgers, I'm not all about waiting half a day to eat. So, yes, I'll be the one going to town on a big hearty breakfast four hours before the start of a 12-course barbecue. I mean, what can I say? A girl's got to eat! Holiday breakfasts are always a good time to pull out the breakfast casseroles or the fancy coffee cake recipes, you know the things that you would never have time to make on any given day. But I also love making festive muffins. They can be eaten alone (for those who might not be as hungry) or with eggs and bacon (my pick). I do enjoy a good berry muffin throughout the year, but I can't deny that the red and blue berries, mixed with the white muffin batter, make for a perfectly festive 4th of July breakfast. Add on a buttery crumb topping and you've basically got a berry crumble baked into a muffin shape. In other words, it's delicious, it's decadent and it's kind of like dessert. Don’t worry, though. Eating dessert twice in one day is totally acceptable on a holiday!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MUFFINS

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled

  • 1 cup plain (Greek) yogurt (or sour cream)

  • 2 eggs

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

  • ½ cup brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon milk

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 ½ cups mixed berries (I used blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries & cherries)

FOR THE TOPPING

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour

  • ¼ cup oats

  • ¼ cup brown sugar

  • A pinch of salt

  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Move a baking rack to the middle of the oven and preheat the temperature to 400 degrees.

  2. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, sugars, yogurt, milk and vanilla.

  4. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, then add the berries. Mix gently a few more times, making sure not to over mix (there will be a few clumps and not everything will be fully incorporated, which is ok).

  5. Divide the batter among greased or lined muffin tins, using a generous ¼ cup to fill each tin. Set aside.

  6. In a small bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients. Using your fingers, mix everything together until it resembles coarse crumbs.

  7. Place about 1 tablespoon of topping on each muffin. Bake for 15-17 minutes (for mini muffins, 7-9 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing.

  8. These muffins are best enjoyed shortly after they are baked. With summer heat and humidity, I would recommend storing leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container. They will not be quite as soft and fluffy but they will last longer. To enjoy the leftovers, simply slice a muffin in half and toast at a low oven temperature (around 250 degrees).

NOTES

  • This recipe will make 16-18 large muffins (or 12 large and 12 mini). The crumb topping recipes makes enough for 12 large muffins.

  • For the berries, you can use fresh or frozen. I like to use the frozen mixes from Trader Joe’s. Just be sure to let them defrost before using them.

  • For the yogurt, I prefer to use Greek, but regular yogurt would work well too.