It’s muffin season! Well, not really. Muffins have no season. But it’s getting chillier here in the high country, and these warm, sweet, high altitude blueberry streusel muffins can go a long way toward soothing the dread of the dark icy mornings we know are coming.
These muffins defy the effects of altitude with fluffy, nicely rounded tops and a soft, moist crumb. They have an unorthodox amount of blueberries in them, which only makes them healthier (says me). They’re deliciously sweet with a satisfying little crunch from the streusel topping. Straight out of the oven, with a smear of melting butter? Unnngghhh.
They’re pretty irresistible.
For a long time, homemade blueberry muffins were my nemesis. I started with a basic high altitude muffin recipe which produced dry, bland bombs with flat, pockmarked tops … edible but nothing anyone would get excited about. I made many more batches with different tweaks: butter instead of oil, more liquid, added lemon zest and cinnamon for flavor. All of them were just okay, but didn’t give me the feeling. You know what I’m talking about.
Finally, I gave up and threw out that recipe altogether. And started from scratch, using close to a sea-level amount of sugar, buttermilk for acidity, an extra egg yolk for moisture, and a couple of good dollops of classic streusel topping, plus extra vanilla for flavor. And loads of blueberries: two full cups (mostly because I had two pints, and wanted to use them up). Taking a hint from the fabulous Sally of Sally’s Baking Addiction, I started the muffins at 425° to give them a chance to set up, then reduced the heat for the remainder of the baking time.
I always sift the dry ingredients straight into the liquid so I can blend the two with minimal stirring (which can lead to toughness), but it’s not the end of the world if you’re in a hurry and/or sifting is too fussy to deal with. Just whisk the flour mixture together first and dump it in. Just don’t overmix.
I highly recommend using paper muffin tin liners at altitude. If you choose not to, make sure you grease and flour the cups very well, as muffins have a nasty habit of sticking badly up here. I’ve lost many good muffins to sticking, and can detect no appreciable difference in quality when compared to muffins baked in liners, so … I just use liners. If a blueberry or a little batter here or there does stick to the top of the tin, just carefully run a knife blade under it before removing the muffin.
Do be sure to fill the batter halfway, add a spoonful of streusel (which dissolves into invisible sweet, cinnamon-y yumminess during baking), and then add more batter, spooning it in all the way to the top of the cup before adding the final bit of topping. If you don’t fill the cups all the way, your muffins won’t rise up with nice rounded tops.
When my first batch came out of the oven, I literally hooted, and maybe even did a giddy little dance. They had risen nice and high, and stayed there! And they tasted like – dare I say – something from a bakery. Sweet, moist, delectable. My family agreed, and now no other recipe is acceptable in my house.
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High-Altitude Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: sweets, high altitude, breakfast & brunch
Description
These fluffy, moist, bakery-style muffins are something of a high-altitude miracle. Studded with oodles of juicy blueberries and swirled and topped with a rich cinnamon-and-brown sugar streusel, they’re as good for dessert as they are for breakfast.
Ingredients
BATTER
1/2 cup (4 oz) neutral-flavored oil (I use grapeseed)
1/4 + 2 TB (3 oz) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) packed brown sugar
1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups (10 oz) fresh blueberries
STREUSEL
2 TB packed brown sugar
2 TB all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TB butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425° and set rack in middle of oven. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (recommended), or thoroughly grease and flour each muffin cup.
In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk, oil and sugars; stir to combine. Whisk in egg and extra yolk, combining thoroughly. Stir in vanilla.
In a sifter or separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift directly into liquid mixture (or whisk in bowl and add to liquid all at once). Stir carefully until just combined (don’t overmix, which can lead to tough muffins). Fold in blueberries.
In a separate bowl, make the streusel: combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon, then drizzle in melted butter. I find the easiest way to blend the mixture is to use my fingers, pinching and squishing until everything is fully combined. Or, use a fork or pastry cutter.
Fill each lined muffin cup halfway. Add about a teaspoon of streusel to each, then fill each muffin cup all the way to the top. Distribute remaining streusel evenly among muffins. This recipe should make exactly 12 standard-size muffins; should you end up with an empty cup, fill it halfway with water.
Bake at 425° for five minutes, then reduce temperature to 375° and bake for 22-25 minutes, until tops of muffins bounce back when touched and edges are golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to five days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
… To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge them in a glass of warm (not hot) water for about 5 minutes.
… No buttermilk? Add 1 TB lemon juice to 1 cup of whole milk; let sit for 15 mins
OMG! These are derishus.. especially making them in your kitchen!😘👏🏻
These muffins look so pretty and delicious, I’m curious to see the end result at sea level. I’ll let you know.
Hello,
Thanks for your recipes. I made your High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies last night and they came out great!
I live in Colorado at 9200 feet.
I am looking forward to making the Blueberry Streusel Muffins.
Question? Are fresh blueberries recommended over fresh blueberries that are frozen?
Hi Jean, so glad the cookies work for you. I love hearing that! As for blueberries in the muffins, I personally prefer the juicy texture of fresh berries, but frozen will work just fine too. Just be sure to defrost them (and rinse them well unless you want purple batter). If you add them frozen they can create little pockets of uncooked batter.
Thanks for the info and I’ll let you know the results.
Winner! My husband just ate two and I didn’t cry baking at altitude (a common occurrence). A recent houseguest left some buttermilk and I was on a mission today to use it up. When blueberry muffins popped up on my search, I just knew you’d have a delicious high altitude option. I had everything in stock (blueberries were frozen, but thawed and drained, they were fine) and your directions were clear and easy. It was exciting to take these out of the oven–they were beautiful from the inside out! Thanks, Robyn!
Yay, Paula! So glad they turned out well for you.
I rarely comment on recipes, but this warranted a shout out! I made this this weekend and they were textbook perfect. Nice high domes on top, not too sweet, lovely soft crumb but still moist and firm. I actually subbed in some raspberries and added a splash of almond extract and they were great (tho I’ll stick w/just vanilla next time). My kids said, “Mom, these didn’t sink!” They know the pain is real. Thanks for taking the tears out of this one!
Fabulous! 🙂
These were ridiculously delicious!
Just moved to the altitude and these did not disappoint! Followed directions exactly and they were perfect! Love your website and will make more of your recipes.
Making these for Christmas Eve brunch. Can I make the batter the day before? We are are at 6320 and it’s all new to me!
Yes, you can make the batter in advance. Just keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
how do you adjust for 7500 elevation
This is a wonderful recipe! My family absolutely loves these muffins! Finally- success when
making a high altitude muffin! (6500 Ft.) Thanks so much, Robyn!
We live on Boreas Pass Road in Breckenridge, and baking is always iffy. Made these yesterday, and they turned out perfect! Almost “cookbook picture” worthy!