A seasonal pastime for many Midwesterners is visiting a local U-Pick farm to acquire a bounty of the latest “in season” produce. One of my family’s faves to gather are blueberries. 

Fat, juicy and ripe for the picking, these tiny and tasty berries make the perfect ingredient in any sweet bread or baked dessert, like my Blueberry Crumble. When my family is not eating Blueberry Crumble for breakfast, dessert, or a healthy-ish afternoon snack during the summer months, you can find us noshing on these berry-delicious muffins. With a hint of lemony zing and a sprinkling of crumbly topping, I hope you’ll enjoy this bakery-inspired muffin as you savor a taste of summer’s farm-fresh flavor.

Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

Makes: About 18 large muffins

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Bake Time: 20-22 minutes

Total Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the muffin:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour*
• ½ tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 TBSP of baking powder
• ½ tsp of salt 
• 1 TBSP of vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¼ cup of granulated white sugar
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 TBSP of lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cup of vanilla almond milk (preferably unsweetened)**
• ½ cup of Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla flavored)
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed and drained
• 1 TBSP of all-purpose flour

For the crumble:

• ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• ½ cup of white or brown sugar (or ¼ cup of each)
• 5 TBSP of butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
• Pinch of salt
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• Note: You can easily double this recipe if you want more crumble topping on each muffin

Let’s do this!

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer or a small-size bowl, mix the vanilla extract, sugar, lemon zest and juice, almond milk, and Greek yogurt until they are well incorporated. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until they are completely folded into the mixture. 
4. In a separate bowl, gently coat the blueberries with the flour. (This helps the blueberries to not sink to the bottom of the muffin pan.)
5. Return to the medium-size bowl that contains the dry ingredients and make a “well” in the middle. Pour in the contents from the bowl with the wet ingredients and gently mix together. (You could also gradually add the dry ingredients into a stand mixer containing the wet ingredients, adding about 1 cup of dry ingredients at a time, until fully integrated.) The key here is to make sure not to over-mix the batter because overmixing prevents those beautiful airy bubbles from occurring in a baked good.
6. Gently fold in the blueberries, making sure not to over-mix the batter or “burst” any of the berries. (You may want to use a large spoon or a rubber spatula to hand mix instead of using a stand mixer.)
7. To make the crumble: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt (I use a fork). Stir in the butter, mashing slightly with a fork to combine while making sure not to overmix the crumble into a dough. 
8. Fill a muffin tin with liners or spray your muffin tin with non-stick cooking or baking spray. (I did not use liners in this photo.) Fill each muffin cup with batter, all the way to the top to ensure a full, “bakery-style,” muffin size and appearance. (NOTE: you will not use all of the batter if you have a 12 muffin tin. I either use wait until this batch is done to use the remaining batter or I bake the leftover batter into a separate 6 count muffin tin). Sprinkle crumble atop each muffin. 
9. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Allow the muffins to cool completely before handling. If desired, you can place them on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

*You can also use 1 cup of white whole wheat flour along with 2 cups of AP flour. I often use this alternative option, including in this recipe’s photo. 

**You can substitute any other type of milk if you have a nut allergy or do not prefer the taste of almond milk. 

***Store these muffins in an airtight container or in a large refrigerated Ziplock bag for 2-3 days (at room temperature) or about 5 days (in the refrigerator).