Banana Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

By Dahn Boquist, Savor the Best

These bakery-style banana blueberry muffins have a crunchy cinnamon crumb topping and they are loaded with juicy blueberries.

You know what’s better than a bakery muffin? Homemade! Yep, these from-scratch, homemade banana blueberry muffins are so much better than the local bakery. They are light and fluffy, yet moist and tender.

The muffins tops bake up nice and tall. Best of all, there is a thick, crunchy-super-yummy-cinnamon-crumb-topping. It is addictive. So grab a cup of coffee and sit down to these homemade banana blueberry muffins.

Banana Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Homemade muffins are easy to make but if you want perfect results, we have a few tips. 

 

Measure the mashed bananas. 

Bananas come in all shapes and sizes. The recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of bananas, which is typically 3 to 4 bananas. It might only be two bananas if they are really large.

If you’re tempted to add more banana mash thinking it will add more moisture and banana flavor, you could end up with a flat, dense muffin. 

 

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. 

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Finally, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold them together gently. This technique will help prevent you from over-mixing the ingredients.

 

Don’t over-mix the batter.

You want the batter to be light and even slightly under-mixed before adding the blueberries. Once you add the blueberries, fold them in just until they are blended.

Stirring the batter too much will develop the gluten in the flour and make the crumb tough. It will also cause the blueberries to burst and make the entire batter purple.

Fill the muffin tins to the top.

If you want the muffins to have really tall muffin tops, then fill the tins all the way to the top. The batter is nice and thick so it won’t run out if you fill the tins to the brim.
 

For tall muffin tops, start with a hot oven.
To get the most rise and tallest muffin tops, bake the muffins at 425°F for the first five minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F for the rest of the time.

When you start baking the muffins at a higher temperature it will give the muffins an extra burst of heat. The immediate burst of heat will cause the baking powder to react quicker and start rising higher. Don’t open the oven when you turn it down after 5 minutes and don’t walk away and forget to turn the oven down to 350°.

You want to finish the baking time at 350°F. If you bake the muffins at 425°F the whole time you will end up with over-baked, dry muffins. So, if you think you’re likely to forget about turning the oven down, then just set the oven at 350° for the entire bake time.

Can you use frozen blueberries to make muffins?

• You can use frozen blueberries for this muffin recipe but make sure they are still frozen when you add them to the batter.
• If you thaw the blueberries before adding them to the batter, then the blueberries will burst open when you fold them into the batter. Also, the juices from the berries will mix into the batter and you will have purple muffins.
• So if you are using frozen blueberries, keep them in the freezer until it is time to add them to the batter.
• Since frozen blueberries will release more liquid than fresh blueberries, the berries will tend to sink to the bottom of the muffin. You can remedy that problem if you toss the berries in a couple of tablespoons of flour before adding them to the batter.
• The final thing to keep in mind if you use frozen blueberries is the cooking time. You will need to add a couple of minutes to the total baking time if you start with frozen berries. Depending on your oven, it shouldn’t take more than two minutes longer. Just stick a toothpick in the center of the muffin to see if it is done.

Supplies you will need for this recipe:

• Standard sized, non-stick muffin pan
• Mixing bowls
• Rubber spatula
• Electric mixer (or you could mix the wet ingredients by hand)
• Banana Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Prep 5 mins
Cook 17 mins
Total 22 mins
Yield 12 muffins

These bakery-style banana blueberry muffins have a crunchy cinnamon crumb topping and they are loaded with juicy blueberries.
 

 

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (156 grams)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 to 4 bananas)

 

 

Add In:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

 

Cinnamon Crumb Topping

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (90 grams)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F (you will reduce the temperature after the muffins cook for 5 minutes)
• Grease 12 standard sized muffin tins or line them with paper baking cups. In a medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together then set aside.
• In another bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar then add the egg and beat until well blended. Next add the vanilla, and mashed bananas and beat until well combined.
• Fold the wet mixture into the flour mixture then fold in the blueberries.
• Make the cinnamon crumb topping:
• Blend the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together then stir in the melted butter until you have pea-sized clumps.
• Fill the greased muffin tins completely full then sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon crumb topping.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F for 5 minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for 12 to15 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the muffins to cool completely before removing from the muffin tins. The tender muffins can fall apart if you remove them while they are still warm.

 

Notes

If you are using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding them to the batter. Toss frozen blueberries in a couple of tablespoons of flour first. This will prevent the blueberries from falling to the bottom of the muffin.

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