Crumb Top or Not Muffins

Muffins were always a huge treat growing up, and they still are!

Getting up early to mix these and bake for breakfast does take a bit of planning. Jake is the baker in our household and so when he makes these, it is always appreciated!

Our favorite way to eat these are with generous curls of butter, fresh out of the oven!

These recipes are especially handy because they are a great way to utilize what we have on hand. Let it be our little secret that sometimes I buy very ripe bananas with the hope that Jake will be persuaded to make these banana muffins.

Every year we buy 10-20 pounds of fresh, organic Maine blueberries. We keep these in the walk-in cooler and eat them by the handful on hot summer days.

If we’re lucky, some will be tucked into the walk-in freezer, out of sight until the winter arrives. Then, we add them to granola, snack on them paired with yogurt or make these muffins.

Classic Blueberry Muffins

This recipe is adapted from one of our most used cookbooks, Mrs. Restino’s Country Kitchen. In addition to several delicious “quick bread” recipes, we love her recipes for homemade ice cream.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (can be unbleached white, whole wheat pastry or a mixture of the two)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups fresh or frozen Maine blueberries (do not defrost)
• 2 organic eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, berries.
3. In another container, beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla, butter
4. Butter the muffin tins before mixing wet and dry ingredients.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients lightly and almost fill the muffin cups
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops spring back lightly when pressed
7. Allow to cool before taking muffins out of the tins

We frequently make a double batch as these are great for lunch dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 organic egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
4. In a separate bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter
5. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened
6. Spoon batter into the muffin cups
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean

Crumb Topping

This crumb topping is delicious on either muffin!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and cinnamon
2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal
3. Sprinkle topping generously over muffins