Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins With A Buttery Oat Crumble
Soft, buttery, with a touch of cinnamon, these blueberry coffee cake muffins are a little bite of heaven.
I love a hot cup of coffee and a giant slice of delicious cake, so naturally, coffee cake is one of my favorite breakfast desserts. In fact, I chose to be a baker and a blogger for two reasons, one my love for writing and getting to utilize my literature degree, and two because the job includes perching myself in my favorite coffee shop, with a hot drink, and a baked good of choice. This, unfortunately, has been put on hold with the pandemic, so delicious go-to recipes that are as good or better than your favorite bakery or coffee shop is essential. For this reason, these coffee cake muffins will become a kitchen staple, perfect for breakfast on the go, brunch with friends and picnics alike.
What makes these muffins delicious?
A few things, but it always comes back to flavor and texture. I don’t mess around when it comes to the texture of cake, and these coffee cake muffins are no different; they have been tested multiple times in my kitchen. Further, the pop of fresh blueberry paired with cinnamon is a delicious combo, that isn’t necessarily the first that comes to mind when selecting a recipe. As a result, this simple pairing feels special when brought to the table, purely because it’s a little different. The crumb top is rich and buttery and the oats give the ultimate comfort feeling when eating. The cake texture lands between a cake and a muffin—light, tender, but a dense enough bite that it’s meant for morning time.
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
More often than not, I use fresh blueberries when making this recipe, but frozen blueberries can certainly be used. Blackberries can even be substituted. Some bakers even prefer using frozen fruit as they have taken the opportunity to pick from local farms, or buy produce on sale at peak season, locking in the best flavor. I do this with blackberries and strawberries each year.
Using frozen berries require a few easy steps, ensuring they don’t result in a soggy, water logged, or a dyed baked good. Steps are as follows. Using a colander, thoroughly rinse the frozen blueberries in coldest tap water until the water runs clear. Place the blueberries on a paper towel lined baking sheet in an even layer, and gently pat dry. Some bakers recommend tossing frozen fruit in a light coating of flour before baking, but I do not feel this is necessary for this recipe as the batter is generally thick enough that the berries stay suspended while baking, but it can certainly be done if preferred. Once berries are dry, put them back onto the baking sheet, or into a bowl, and pop them back into the freezer until needed. Once the batter is ready, remove the berries from the freezer and gently fold in the blueberries. The goal is to keep them frozen, ensuring the batter won’t turn that dreaded bluish-green color we all fear!
If you are using fresh berries, wash berries before preparing the batter, checking for any pesky stems still stuck in the blueberries—discard accordingly. Lay the blueberries on a paper towel to dry. If still wet, pat them dry before folding them into the batter. Set aside until needed.
Final Tip
Less is more when folding the berries into the batter. Don’t use a mixer when incorporating the berries, but instead do this step by hand. Using a spatula, gently fold the berries for a few seconds, just until they are evenly distributed. This is especially the case when using frozen berries as the batter can quickly turn color. The best muffins have a beautiful contrast between the muffin and the fruit, keeping the integrity of both separate from each other. Lastly, keep in mind that frozen fruit may affect the baking time, so don’t be surprised if the cooking time is increased by a few minutes using frozen fruit.
Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins With A Buttery Oat Crumble
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- To make the streusel, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Place butter that has been cut into small cubes into flour mixture. With a pastry cutter, mash and mix the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners, the recipe makes about two dozen muffins. Set aside.
- Prepare frozen or fresh berries. See intro for further instruction.
- In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Into the mixing bowl, add the lightly beaten eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until the batter comes together, about 15 seconds on medium speed.
- Alternating between flour and the sour cream, add 1/3 of flour into the mixing bowl on low speed. Immediately follow with half of the sour cream, followed by another 1/3 of the flour and the second half of the sour cream. Finish with the remaining flour mixture. The mixer should be kept on low, preventing the flour and sour cream from splashing out of the bowl. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure any dry ingredients trapped at the bottom are brought to the top. After scraping, turn the mixer up to medium for a few seconds ensuring the batter is fully mixed and smooth.
- Fold in the blueberries carefully until just incorporated.
- Using a 1/4 measuring cup, fill muffin pans with batter. Remove streusel from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the topping on each muffin.
- Place muffin tins in oven, using two racks positioned in the middle. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Note the baking time may need to be extended a few minutes for frozen blueberries.
- Once removed from the oven, transfer muffins to cooling rack as soon as possible. The muffins are fully cooked when pulled from the the oven, so promptly transferring them ensures the don't keeping baking in the muffin tins. For any butter left in the muffin tins, feel free to brush the tops of the muffins with residual butter giving the muffins a nice buttery shine.
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