Mega Blackberry Coffeehouse Muffins

Photo: Jo Ann

Ingredients

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or shredded coconut

cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients for Muffin Batter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely minced orange zest

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups to 2 & ¾ al l-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups scant semi-frozen blackberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange oven rack to middle position. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Prepare streusel topping by rubbing or crumbling ingredients together with fingers; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, both sugars, orange zest, and egg. Do not overbeat. Mixture should be pasty. Add buttermilk and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently fold into batter. Once partially blended, fold in fruit. The use of semi-frozen fruit will help "firmup" the batter. If batter seems too loose, add a few tablespoons of flour (no more than 4 tablespoons) to make batter a bit stiffer.

Distribute batter evenly between the twelve cups, sprinkle streusel topping evenly over each muffin.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 12 to 15 minutes. Muffins should spring back when gently pressed. Allow 5 minutes before removing from pan.