BERRY MUFFINS WITH STREUSEL
Every morning at Bordertown Coffee I would make a huge tray of blueberry muffins, along with another batch that highlighted a different fruit flavor each day. Blackberries, peaches, rhubarb, and cherries all had a chance to sing, along with chocolate and nuts. I mixed and matched them in various combinations, and our customers loved the variety. At home I normally stick with raspberries or blackberries in this recipe, but you can create any streusel muffin of your dreams. Plain fruit works here, or try a combination of chocolate and nuts. Cinnamon can be swapped for cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg. The tops can be covered with streusel, or just a sprinkling of sugar. There is plenty of room for experimentation. makes 15 to 16 muffins
2½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (½ stick; 57 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
½ cup canola oil
1¼ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (149 g) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
2 heaping cups (283 g) raspberries or chopped blackberries, fresh or frozen
Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place liners in two standard 12-cup muffins tins, filling 16 of the cups.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
In a large bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the butter, canola oil, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, and egg until completely combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients, mixing gently until almost combined. Fold in the berries until just incorporated, being careful not to overwork the batter (the batter should not be completely smooth; there should still be some visible lumps and bumps).
Scoop the batter into the prepared tins, filling the cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops generously with the streusel. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out with the tiniest bit of crumb.
NOTES: The berries do not have to be thawed, but the muffins may need an extra minute or two added to the baking time if frozen fruit is used.
Most fruit will work well in this recipe. Raspberries, strawberries, pears, peaches, rhubarb, peaches, cherries, and blackberries are all good options. For larger fruit (anything larger than a blueberry or raspberry), be sure to chop them into smaller diced pieces. You can also do a fruit/chocolate/nut combination here. I find 1½ cups fruit and ½ cup chocolate or nuts works best. Just be sure you don’t add more than 2 cups total.