American
Brown Sugar Blueberry Muffins
High-domed blueberry muffins combine a tender sour-cream crumb, lemon zest, and abundant berries with a thin brown-sugar streusel that bakes crisp without burying the fruit.
12 servings · 20 minutes prep · 24 minutes cook
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Streusel
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Blueberry Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, or frozen berries kept frozen
Directions
Make the Streusel
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Rub together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the melted butter and squeeze into irregular pea-size crumbs. Chill while mixing the batter.
Fold the Batter
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk the sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth.
- Fold wet into dry until a few flour streaks remain. Add the blueberries and fold only until distributed. Let the thick batter stand for 10 minutes; do not stir again.
Fill and Bake
- Line or lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin. Divide batter evenly, filling the cups nearly full, and scatter the cold streusel in a thin even layer without pressing.
- Bake for 6 minutes, then reduce the oven without opening the door to 375°F (190°C). Continue for 14 to 18 minutes, until domes spring back and a tester inserted away from a berry shows moist crumbs but no raw batter.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, loosen the edges, and transfer to a rack for at least 20 minutes. Leaving them in the tin longer traps steam and softens the sides.
