When I was a kid, my mom’s plan was to teach me to cook so I would someday be a somewhat functional adult. I mean, we all kind of plan that, or at least think about it sometimes, right? Before she died when I was 9, I hadn’t learned a whole lot, but I had a handful of things in my repertoire: Melted Cheese on a Plate (which is exactly what it sounds like–I would put shredded cheese on a plate, melt it, and eat it with a fork like a very classy girl.) Sausage and Sauerkraut (because what 9-year-old doesn’t make that for all her friends? No wonder people thought I was weird.) Campbell’s Tomato Soup made with milk instead of water. Pancakes. And blueberry muffins.
These are not the blueberry muffins of my childhood; these are much better blueberry muffins. They have cinnamon streusel on them and lemon zest in in them and they’re easy to make with stuff you probably either have on hand or can easily get. They are perfect for breakfast or brunch or “hey, I’m feeling snacky, but I have to wear a bra to the grocery store, so it’s either blueberry muffins or melted cheese on a plate again.” Here’s a little life tip: blueberry muffins are almost always better than melted cheese on a plate (notice I didn’t say always, because hey, we all have our dark times.)
time to make the muffins
For these, you’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, orange or lemon rind, baking powder, buttermilk, eggs, oil (although you can sub apple sauce if you want to healthify these a little), blueberries, and sugar for the muffins

You’ll also need butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon for the streusel topping.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder and salt,

sugar,

and citrus peel.

Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Place the the egg, buttermilk, and oil in a smaller bowl…

Whisk them together and add the mixture to the dry ingredients,

stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter.

Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.

To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter

and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.

Then you should eat ’em (because they are muffins and that’s what you do).

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
STREUSEL TOPPING
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, and citrus peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
- To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 cup sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.








Questions & Reviews
Oh my gosh! I love this recipe! I made it for the second time today and I’ve been craving it ever since the first time I made it! Hands down the best blueberry muffin from scratch recipe I’ve ever made- I can’t stop eating them!
I also love that the recipe for the streusel is just the right amount and I don’t have a ton left over. Thank you Best Bites!
EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for! Thank you so much!
Making a double batch of these right now for breakfast! Didn’t have any lemon rind so i used pure lemon extract. Thanks for the great recipes!
I just made these and they turned out perfect! I have also had issues with flat muffins, but these have such a beautiful top! The crumb topping adds to the muffin and makes these so delicious to eat.
I have been anxious to try these muffins. Finally did this morning. Like a previous poster, I had trouble with my crumble topping melting off. I guess my butter was too warm. They weren’t as sweet as other muffins I’ve had which is a plus (calorie/nutrition wise) and a minus (b/c I do have quite the sweet tooth). Loved the texture – very light and moist.
i just made these this morning without orange/lemon zest. so good! i’m sure the zest makes them even better, but they were fantastic without.
Oh wow! Even the batter looks amazing! A double batch is in the oven at this very moment and family members are gravitating toward the uber-yummy smell wafting from the kitchen! Thanks for a great Saturday morning recipe!
These look delicious! I happen to have a big box of blueberries that need using so I will be making these soon. 🙂
Just two questions for you: Can I leave the orange/lemon zest out? I don’t have either of those fruits. Also, it says 1 large egg. If I have medium eggs, should I use two or just stick with one.
Thanks!
I’ve made these twice using half whole wheat pastry flour and virgin olive oil! They are AWESOME! MY new “go-to” muffin recipe! Thank you so much for posting! I am addicted to your site! 🙂
Can I use self-rising flour and delete the baking powder?
I can’t say for sure without trying it, but I imagine you could.