Get ready to fall in love with your new favorite breakfast treat! This blueberry coffee cake muffin recipe is the perfect mashup of two beloved classics: a tender, moist blueberry muffin and a buttery, cinnamon-rich coffee cake. Each muffin is bursting with juicy blueberries and crowned with an irresistible, crunchy streusel topping that will have everyone reaching for a second one. They are surprisingly simple to make and taste like they came straight from a high-end bakery.
Whether you’re looking for a special weekend brunch item, a delicious afternoon snack with a cup of coffee, or a delightful bake to share with family and friends, this recipe is a guaranteed winner. Let’s get baking!
Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe
- The Perfect Texture: We use sour cream to create an incredibly moist and tender crumb that stays fresh for days.
- Best of Both Worlds: It has all the juicy berry goodness of a blueberry muffin and the satisfying crunch of a classic coffee cake streusel.
- Crowd-Pleasing Topping: The buttery, cinnamon-spiced crumb topping is generous, crunchy, and absolutely addictive.
- Easy to Make: The instructions are straightforward and foolproof, making this a great recipe for bakers of all skill levels.
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
The magic of this recipe lies in simple, high-quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to create the ultimate muffin base and the perfect crumbly streusel.
For the Streusel Topping
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the crumbs.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness, a hint of molasses flavor, and moisture.
- Ground Cinnamon: The classic warm spice that makes it taste like coffee cake.
- Salt: A pinch of salt balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Use it cold and cubed to create those perfect crumbly clusters.
For the Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our muffin batter.
- Granulated Sugar: For sweetness and a tender texture.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leaveners work together to give the muffins a beautiful lift.
- Salt: Enhances all the other flavors.
- Sour Cream: The secret ingredient for an ultra-moist and rich muffin. Make sure it’s at room temperature.
- Large Egg: Binds the ingredients together. Also should be at room temperature.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted and slightly cooled for flavor and richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a lovely warmth and depth of flavor.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen both work wonderfully! We’ll cover how to use both below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps for perfect muffins. Remember, the key is to mix the batter just until combined!
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Make the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms with pea-sized clumps. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to keep it cold while you prepare the muffin batter.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the room temperature sour cream and egg until smooth. Then, whisk in the melted butter and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Mix Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold them together just until the last streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix! A few lumps are perfectly fine.
- Add Blueberries: Gently fold in the blueberries. If using frozen, add them directly from the freezer.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Top and Bake: Generously sprinkle the chilled streusel topping over the batter in each muffin cup. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Success: How to Make the Best Muffins Every Time
A few simple techniques can elevate your blueberry coffee cake muffins from good to unforgettable. For more inspiration, check out our guide to making tall bakery-style blueberry muffins.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients
Bringing your egg and sour cream to room temperature is crucial. It allows them to emulsify more easily into the batter, creating a smoother, more uniform texture and a better rise.
Don’t Overmix the Batter
This is the golden rule of muffin making! Overmixing develops gluten, which results in tough, dense, and rubbery muffins instead of light and tender ones. Mix only until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
Both fresh and frozen blueberries work great in this recipe. If using frozen, do not thaw them first. Add them to the batter straight from the freezer to prevent them from bleeding color into the batter and making it grey.
How to Keep Blueberries from Sinking
A thick batter, like the one in this recipe, is the best defense against sinking fruit. For extra insurance, you can toss your blueberries with a tablespoon of the dry flour mixture before folding them into the batter. This light coating helps them grip the batter and stay suspended while baking.
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- Sour Cream vs. Greek Yogurt: You can substitute full-fat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream in a 1:1 ratio. This is a common swap in many recipes, like our popular blueberry muffins with sour cream.
- Add a Glaze: For an extra touch of sweetness, drizzle a simple lemon or vanilla glaze over the cooled muffins.
- Try Other Berries: This recipe works well with other berries like raspberries, chopped strawberries, or blackberries.
How to Store and Freeze
Proper storage ensures your muffins stay delicious and fresh for as long as possible.
Storing at Room Temperature
Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. To keep the streusel topping from getting soggy, place a paper towel in the bottom of the container and another on top of the muffins to absorb excess moisture.
Freezing Instructions
These muffins freeze beautifully! Once cooled completely, place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. To enjoy, thaw them at room temperature or gently warm them in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
The Perfect Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe
Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe (with The Best Streusel!)
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms with pea-sized clumps. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk the room temperature sour cream and egg until smooth. Then, whisk in the melted butter and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold them together just until the last streaks of flour disappear. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Generously sprinkle the chilled streusel topping over the batter in each muffin cup.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Do not overmix the batter to ensure a tender, fluffy crumb.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can substitute an equal amount of full-fat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream. This will still result in a delicious and moist muffin.
Yes, absolutely! Do not thaw the frozen blueberries before using them. Add them directly to the batter at the last minute to prevent the color from bleeding and turning your batter grey.
This recipe creates a batter that is thick enough to suspend the berries. For extra assurance, you can toss your blueberries (fresh or frozen) in 1 tablespoon of the recipe’s flour mixture before gently folding them into the finished batter.
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Placing a paper towel on the bottom of the container and one on top of the muffins will help absorb moisture and keep the streusel topping from getting soggy.
The key is to use cold butter and not to overmix it. Work the cold, cubed butter into the flour and sugar mixture with your fingertips until you have coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Chilling the streusel in the fridge while you make the batter also helps it stay crumbly and bake up perfectly crunchy.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
If you loved this recipe, you’re sure to enjoy some of our other muffin creations! For a different take on a crumb topping, try our classic blueberry streusel muffins.
We hope you love this blueberry coffee cake muffin recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out. Don’t forget to save it to Pinterest for later!
