Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Blackberry Muffins with Pecan Streusel

I know it's not blackberry season yet (almost!), but I couldn't wait.  The fresh berries at the store just looked too good (though you can also use frozen) and I hadn't made muffins in a very long time.  Plus my mom was in town and I just couldn't let the chance to spend a little time in the kitchen with her pass me by.

We both agreed these muffins were winners.  They didn't have the heavy feel so many muffins can and, by cutting the sugar down a bit, the streusel and berries were able to stand out on their own while also balancing each other out.

Honestly, this may be my new favorite base recipe for straightforward breakfast muffins.  I think you'll like it too, especially since you could easily swap out the blackberries for your favorite fruit and use walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, or whatever you'd prefer in place of the pecans.  I'm thinking a strawberry almond and peach almond combination might be especially tasty.  Good thing I have plenty of friends and coworkers who are always willing to chow down on baked goods!

blackberry muffins

With just a little time, some classic pantry staples, and your favorite fruit and nut combination, you'll be able to whip up a batch of these blackberry muffins with pecan streusel (or whatever combo you can imagine) in no time at all!

Blackberry Muffins with Pecan Streusel
from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

Ingredients:


For the streusel:

1/3 c. granulated sugar
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 c. pecans, finely chopped

For the muffins:
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beten
5 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 c. buttermilk
2. fresh blackberries or 2 1/2 c. frozen (unthawed) unsweetened blackberries

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 F.  Prepare a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners, butter, or nonstick baking spray.

2.  Make the streusel by stirring together the sugar, flour, and lemon zest.  Stir in melted butter until the mixture is crumbly, then add in pecans.  Set aside.

3.  To make the muffins, in a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt.  Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter, and buttermilk.  Stir just until the batter is slightly lumpy but evenly moistened.  Gently fold in blackberries, taking care not to break up the fruit.

4.  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each to a bit above the rim of the cup.  Top each muffin with some of the streusel.  

5.  Bake until the muffins are golden and springy to the touch and the sugar in the streusel melts to produce a glaze effect, 25-30 minutes.  Test with a toothpick before removing from the oven and, when done, transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Unmold the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature.  Leftover keep in the refrigerator up to two days.

yield: 12 muffins