Blueberry Buckle Muffins

I wanted to create a hybrid recipe between blueberry muffins and blueberry buckle: where a buckle is a soft cake studded with blueberries and a streusel on top, but instead I’d bake and serve it in the more portable muffin shape. Plus, this means you get the most excellent muffin top ever: it’s crispy and full of flavor. Those edges are irresistible. 

Recipe Origins 

I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel for the muffin batter so I adapted the most widely popular blueberry muffin recipe: jordan marsh’s blueberry muffins (sometimes they’re called ‘department store muffins). I swapped out the flour for cake flour, since I wanted the base to have a more tender crumb than an average muffin, and I used kefir/buttermilk (either will do) instead of milk because it’s creamier and has a little tang – also something done in cake recipes. 

*As I always do with muffins I make the batter ahead of time, let it chill and rest in the fridge which gives the batter better flavor and the muffin better structure. We’re also baking the muffins in alternate cups to allow for better heat circulation and so that the big crispy muffin tops won’t melt into each other. 

For the streusel I kept it pretty standard but two things: I use brown sugar for better flavor and I chill it so that the butter will melt fully in the oven and the topping will be crispier. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: unsalted butter, at room temperature for both the batter and the topping. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar for the batter and some brown sugar for the topping. 

Lemon: this is optional, it’s for the muffin batter and we’ll only need the zest. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. 

Eggs: whole large eggs, they should be at room temperature. 

Kefir or buttermilk: full or low-fat. If you don’t have any you can use greek yogurt, just thin it out slightly with water. 

Blueberries: fresh blueberries. If you picked blueberries and then froze them (without washing) they probably won’t have too much ice stuck to them so they’d be fine too. Store-bought frozen berries, or berries washed then frozen will have water clinging to them which adds liquid to the batter (not in a good way =/ ) 

Cinnamon: ground cinnamon for the topping. If someone has an allergy, it’s ok to skip this or swap it with something like cardamom. 

Flour: all purpose flour. If you need to make it gluten free, use a 1 to 1 gluten free swap. 

Almond flour: I will add about a quarter of a cup of blanched almond flour to the batter sometimes. It gives the muffins a bit more sturdiness without drying it out plus I like some nutrition in the am. 

How to make Blueberry Buckle Muffins 

Make the streusel by whisking then blending in the butter by hand (don’t use a mixer or it will over mix and be too ‘wet’): 

Chill the topping.

Zest the lemons into the sugar and rub: 

Add the butter and flavorings, beat: 

Add the eggs, beat to combine: 

Add the flour, while mixing it in, pour in the buttermilk: 

Fold in the blueberries:

Preheat the oven and line every other muffin cup.

Fill the muffin cups, top with the streusel: 

Bake until the tops spring back when pressed or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean of cake batter. 

FAQ

Can I use a different berry for this muffin recipe? 

Raspberries would be great here, strawberries or blackberries if they are diced into smaller bits.

Can I make the batter ahead of time? 

If you’ve made some of my muffins before, you know that sometimes I’ll suggest you make the batter the night before then bake it in the morning. I did try that when testing this recipe and it works but some of the leavening power is lost so the muffins tend to rise flat – this is quite nice for the streusel but it won’t dome. It’s up to you – if you don’t mind a slightly flat top and want to save time in the am, go for it. 

Why bake the muffins in alternating cups? 

I learned this trick from Michelle at Hummingbird High – it helps with heat circulation so the muffins will rise better. And for our purposes with the streusel, it keeps the muffins from sticking together. If you only have one pan you can reuse it (after cleaning). 

Blueberry Buckle Muffin Recipe

Blueberry Buckle Muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Chill: 2 hours hrs

Yields: 12 standard muffins

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

Blueberry Muffins

• 200g or 1 cup fine granulated sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons optional
• 113g or ½ cup butter unsalted and softened
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature (place them in a bowl of warm water before you start)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 260g or 2 cups cake flour (can sub with all purpose flour but remove two tablespoons of it and add 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
• 30g or ¼ cup blanched almond flour optional, adds more heft to the muffin
• 80g or ⅓ cup kefir or buttermilk
• 1 ½- 2 cups fresh blueberries

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

• 100g or ½ cup brown sugar
• 86g or ⅔ cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon more if you want a stronger flavor
• 70g or 5 tablespoons butter, unsalted softened

Method

Make the topping:

• Whisk together all the dry ingredients then add the butter and mix with your fingers until there’s no unmixed butter bits - it should be on the dry side but still able to clump when squeezed.. Squeeze parts of the mix into tablespoons sized clumps. Set the mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes while you make the batter, so the butter will firm up again.

Make the muffin batter:

• In a large bowl, add the sugar and zest the lemons over it. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers. Add the butter, salt and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Beat in the eggs, for another 2 minutes, the mix should be very creamy and airy.
• Add the baking powder and cake flour (and almond flour if using), and with the mixer on, pour in the buttermilk or kefir. When you have a smooth batter, toss in the blueberries and stir to just combine.

Bake the muffins

• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Using two 12 cup muffin tins, line every other muffin cup with a parchment liner (if you only have one pan, just clean and reuse it after the first batch).
• Fill the muffin cups to the top and over the batter, generously add the chilled streusel to the top, sprinkling it all over the muffin in a mixture of small and bigger bits.
• Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out free of muffin batter (it might have blueberry goo - that’s ok) and the tops spring back when pressed.

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