I worked as a hostess and busser at a restaurant in La Jolla, CA, called The Cottage while I was in high school. It was the closest I’d ever come to working in a real commercial kitchen, and it was also home to daily dozens of the freshest, most delicious breakfast breads. This Blueberry Bell (my nickname) recipe was inspired by the muffins served at The Cottage. I’ve added a streusel topping and lemon zest for even more flavor, and I’ve also upped the blueberry count packing each muffin full of the juicy berries. Cranberries and orange zest would also be great substitutes in this recipe.
Servings 18 muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup light sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 2 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
For the streusel topping:
- 4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a small bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a mixmaster, beat together the sugar and butter until well blended.
- Add the eggs in one at a time until they are all incorporated.
- Mix in the sour cream and the lemon zest.
- Slowly add in the sifted flour mixture. Do not over beat.
- Gently stir in the blueberries then scoop the batter into a greased cupcake pan.
- Top with 1 tablespoon of streusel (recipe below) and then bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes.
For the streusel topping:
- In a food processor pulse together the butter, flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon until the butter is in small pieces.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and pinch small pieces together until it is a crumbled texture.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 55mg, Potassium: 158mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 170IU, Vitamin C: 1.9mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 1.7mg
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I have never seen such a stiff batter. it was almost impossible to fold the blueberries in so I didn’t continue mixing all the way because I didn’t want to smash the berries. They came out pretty well, part of it was cake color and part of it was blueberry color because I didn’t continue stirring. Does the batter have to be so stiff?
Hi there! I’m not sure why your batter was so stiff but we’ll take another look at the recipe!
This was delicious! Definitely going to take your suggestion and make a cranberry with orange zest version for the holidays. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Kelsey!
Is anyone else extremely confused by the numbering on this recipe?? Is it 3 cups or 3 half cups or 3 AND a half cups of flour….
Apologies, Jennifer! There was a formatting error. It has been updated. Thanks!
Strawberry cheesecake chimichangas & Blueberry bell muffins w\streusel topping!! Is so my favorites
I see Streusel topping on anything and I’m SOLD! These look outstanding! Beautiful crumbly pic!