Blueberry Muffin Tops - Baked Freeform on a Baking Sheet

Today we want to share with you a special post:

Blueberry Muffin Tops - Baked Freeform on a Baking Sheet

Muffin tops are easy to mix, but can be tricky to get right. They can easily become dry and flat, dense, or lack the subtle differences in texture that make a muffin so wonderful.

We took out all that guesswork to develop a bagel recipe that encompasses all the best parts of a bagel: puffy, fluffy, soft and light, yet slightly crisp around the edges.

These perfectly sweetened blueberry muffins are light and fluffy with a delicately crispy golden rim.

They're packed with fresh, tangy blueberries and topped with crispy brown sugar and oat streusel for a crumb cake moment.

They are ready in less than an hour, as easy to make as some cookies and a delicious breakfast or snack.

Bun tops vs. cakes

While there's a lot to love about the whole muffin, the top is arguably the best part.

It's still fluffy and soft in the center, but has a little more texture around the edges, where the batter tends to spill over and bake right in the pan.

If the top is your favorite part of the muffin, skip the bottom and make the top of the muffin instead.

They're baked right on a lined baking sheet that lends itself to all those wonderful nuances of texture, browned and caramelized a bit more for better flavor, and no special pans or paper liners needed.

Using Fresh vs. frozen blueberries

After trying both fresh and frozen berries, I recommend using fresh blueberries in these muffin tops. They taste better and work perfectly in mass.

However, if you need to use frozen blueberries, you can! Make these adjustments to the recipe:

  1. Preheat the oven and cover the tins first, as you will be skipping the 30-minute rest period.
  2. Use frozen blueberries. Do not thaw them.
  3. Mix the frozen blueberries into the flour as directed and carefully, but quickly fold into the batter.
  4. Keep in mind that the dough will harden with the cold blueberries.
  5. Do not over mix when folding frozen berries. Mixing too much can cause the cranberries to bleed and pop in the batter, leaving blue-gray streaks that end up looking a little weird when baked.
  6. Let the dough rest as long as it takes to make the streusel topping, no more than 10 minutes.
  7. Muffin tops made with frozen berries may take a few minutes longer to bake.

Easy variations

  • Add a pinch or two of spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, or nutmeg to the streusel and/or batter to give muffin tops a warm and inviting flavor profile.
  • Add some finely grated lemon zest to the dough to brighten it up and play with the tartness of the blueberries.
  • For a nutty bite, replace some or all of the oats in the streusel with chopped almonds.
  • Drizzle the rolls with a tangy topping such as lemon, yogurt, or cream cheese.

Tips for the Best Muffin Tops

For the best blueberry muffin tops, use these tips:

Be sure to rest the dough. Letting the dough rest allows the flour to hydrate, resulting in a thicker dough that spreads less, rises more evenly, and holds its shape better.

Also, make sure the cranberries are dry before tossing them into the flour. The dry coating of flour prevents the blueberries from sinking to the bottom.

For the perfect streusel top: these muffin tops are wonderful because of how light they are. Because of this, the streusel can sink a bit or be swallowed up by the tops of the muffins, leaving the frosting sparse in some areas.

A light coating of powdered sugar hides any imperfections, but you can take this extra easy step for the perfect streusel.

Divide half of the streusel mixture between the tops of the buns before baking (about 1/2 tablespoon each).

Halfway through cooking, sprinkle with remaining streusel, rotate pans, and finish baking according to recipe.

Ingredients

for dough

  • 1 1/3 cups (182 g) all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon for dusting blueberries
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 4 teaspoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
  • 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cups (7 1/4 ounces) fresh blueberries, washed and dried well

For the streusel and the finish

  • 2/3 cup (85g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (37 g) rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup (65g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar, as needed for dusting (optional)

Method

Prepare the dough:

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 cups of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine, and set aside.

Add the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a large bowl using a hand mixer.

Beat on medium speed until fully combined, smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.

Add the egg and oil:

Add the egg and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. The mixture may look like it is about to separate. Everything's fine.

Add oil and beat on medium speed, scraping as necessary, until fully incorporated.

Combine wet and dry ingredients:

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined.

Add half of the buttermilk and beat on low until just combined. Repeat, alternating the remaining flour and buttermilk mixture, scraping down the bowl between each addition.

Some remaining dry parts are fine. Do not over mix the batter.

Mix the fruits and add to the dough:

Add the blueberries to the bowl you used for the flour mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour over the blueberries and gently toss to coat.

Add the covered blueberries to the batter. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter until all the remaining dry bits have been incorporated and the cranberries are evenly distributed. Do not over mix.

Rest the dough:

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

This rest helps prevent the muffin top from spreading too far and creates a better dome on top.

Preheat the oven and prepare the streusel:

While the dough is resting, place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 400ยฐF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the streusel, add the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and salt to a small bowl and mix. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract.

Stir the mixture until most of the flour mixture is hydrated. There will still be some dry parts.

Using your hands, work the streusel until there are no dry bits left. The mixture should be crumbly but able to hold together when you squeeze it.

Squeeze small amounts of the mixture to form small streusel pieces.

Separate the top of the muffins and cover with the streusel:

Using a 2-inch scoop, scoop out 6 portions of batter on each baking sheet.

To prevent the tops of the muffins from baking into each other, place them on the baking sheet, leaving a few inches between each one.

Press down very gently (you don't want to flatten them) by piling tablespoonfuls of streusel on top of each muffin layer.

Bake the muffin tops:

Place the tops of the muffins in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Bake at 400ยฐF for 7 minutes until muffin top is puffed and shell is set.

Rotate trays front to back and top to bottom. Bake an additional 4 to 6 minutes until muffin tops are golden brown on top, golden around edges, and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (11 to 13 minutes total).

Cool and serve:

Let the muffin tops cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

If desired, place a tablespoon of the powdered sugar in a strainer and lightly dust the top of each muffin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Leftover bagels can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Learn how to make quick and easy blueberry muffins

Souce: Toronto Star

Did you find this post useful or inspiring? Save THIS PIN to your Cooking Board on Pinterest! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Emily Carter

Emily is a home cooking enthusiast who loves experimenting with simple, flavorful recipes. For her, cooking is a way to share special moments with family and friends. When sheโ€™s not in the kitchen, she enjoys exploring new ingredients and trying dishes from different cultures.

๐Ÿ˜ Follow us on Flipboard ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿผ


Flipboard
Click Here!

Other Recipes Youโ€™ll Love ๐Ÿ˜

Go up