Blueberry Olive Oil Crumble Muffins

If a muffin and a coffee cake got together on a steamy summer night, this would be their love child.

Makes 12 muffins

Crumble Topping

  • 12 Tbs. unsalted butter (6 oz)

  • 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7.5 oz)

  • ½ cup light brown sugar (4 oz), packed

  • ½ cup sugar (3.5 oz)

  • 2 Tbs. Old Fashioned Oats

  • 1 tsp. cinnamon

  • Pinch of salt

Muffin 

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 oz)

  • 1 tsp. baking powder

  • 1 tsp. baking soda

  • ½ tsp. salt

  • 1 cup sugar (7 oz)

  • Zest of 1 lemon

  • 2 large eggs (4 oz)

  • 1 cup sour cream (7.4 oz)

  • ½ cup olive oil (3.7 oz)

  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice

  • 2 tsp. vanilla

  • 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries (8.3 oz)

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For crumble topping:

  • Line a standard cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners, preferable tall tulip shaped liners.

  • Place butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat.

  • Stir together flour, brown sugar, sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in melted butter and stir together until butter is evenly distributed and there are no dry spots.

  • Spread crumble on a cookie sheet and refrigerate while preparing muffin batter.

For muffins:

  • Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

  • In a large bowl, mix the sugar, zest and eggs until combined. Add sour cream, olive oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

  • Add flour mixture to egg mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

  • Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Top generously with crumble.

  • Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and muffins spring back to the touch.

  • Let cool 5 minutes then remove the muffins from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

  • Makes 12 muffins.

Directions

Gold Key Tips

  • Seasonal, fresh blueberries are best for this recipe. Frozen blueberries can be used; however they bleed color into the batter and the bake time will take longer.

  • Olive oil is one of the thickest vegetable oils and is a great replacement for butter in the muffin portion of this recipe. The oil keeps the muffin moist and light. Avoid expensive and full-bodied olive oil for this recipe. Light olive oil works best and will not dominate the flavor profile.

  • Tulip baking cups allow for a higher rise without the muffin tops spreading out. This keeps the crumble topping in place and makes removing the muffins from the pan easier and cleaner. The cups also keep the muffin moist and fresh for up to 3 days.

  • Whole oats, also known as old fashioned oats, add texture to the crumble and won’t fade into the batter. Avoid quick oats as they don’t crisp up and because they are so thin, they can fade into the batter leaving bald spots in your crumble topping.