Berry muffins (blueberry or raspberry)

I don't have any story to go along with this recipe, its just a great reliable muffin recipe to have in the binder.  These make a great dense crumbly berry packed muffin, that is fairly fast to whip up, and reliably looks pretty.  The cinnamon crumb topping and the hint of lemon make this muffin rise above others I have tried.  I tend to buy frozen berries (mainly raspberries and blueberries) whenever I see them on sale at the store and stock up on them.  The recipe tastes just as good with frozen berries straight out of the freezer, so there is no need to waste your money on fresh berries, and no need to wait patiently for summer.  The only downside to this recipe is that these really taste best in the first 24-36 hours after baking them.  If you are looking for a berry muffin recipe to last you through the week, then I'd resort to the old faithful banana raspberry muffin (here).

Berry Muffins:

mildly adapted from smitten kitchen

makes 10-12 muffins

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup yogurt

1/2 cup lemon zest (optional)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup berries (blueberry or raspberry), fresh or frozen.  (If frozen, don't defost).

Crumb topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tb flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tb butter

Make the muffins:

Preheat the oven to 375f/190 c, line a muffin tin with muffin cup liners

1. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy
2. Add in egg, then yogurt and lemon zest
3. Mix in dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) until combined.  Fold in your berries.
4. Use a large spoon or even an ice cream scoop to evenly fill your muffin cups to about 3/4 full.  The batter is meant to be thick!  
5. Make the crumb topping: mix all ingredients together in a bowl until it resembles corn meal.  I usually use my fingers to mush the butter into the cinnamon sugar.  
6. Generously sprinkle the crumb topping over your muffins.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.  Let cool on a wire rack.

 Store in an airtight container, best if eaten within 24-48 hours.