Jumbo Blueberry Muffins with Cheesecake Streusel
Dessert as breakfast but make it a real breakfast
Not only these super soft and tender jumbo blueberry muffins are full of flavor, they are topped with a streusel inspired by one of the most popular dessert here at the blog, Blueberry Cheesecake. I used softened cream cheese and graham crackers to make the streusel that will top these bakery style blueberry muffins. You only need two bowls and a spoon to mix these up, that way you can easily have them any day you want!
I know the mere idea of having a bite of these early in the morning will make your day better instantly. I’m sure your mood will be mellower and your heart will be warmer. How wouldn't you go and conquer your day feeling like that?!
I came with this idea totally inspired with the equation of what I love and what I have in my fridge. I was scratching my head thinking with what clever thing I could come up for the blog. And after going beyond my own imagination, thinking too hard about crazy combinations, I suddenly remembered my beloved blueberry cheesecake and thought about how I can impart its flavor profile on another recipe. And muffins, like their giant tops, popped into my mind. I was so excited when I woke up the morning I was about to bake these! And after all the work of baking shooting and filming the video, I just sat down with a hot cup of black espresso (because muffins and doughnuts always go with black coffee!) and smiled at every bite!
If you have already made my Super Soft Jumbo Blueberry Muffins with Earl Grey Tea, you will see that the recipe is mostly the same. I omitted the earl grey tea (which you can leave of course if you want a floral earthy note) and used buttermilk instead of the coconut milk-vinegar mixture. But I left everything else basically the same because I know after all the process, you want crumbly, soft and tender muffins. And with this recipe you will have exactly that! The main change is in the top, which is covered with a mixture of cream cheese and graham cracker that will reming you of your favorite cheesecake (hopefully my Blueberry Cheesecake!) which will make you feel so spoiled as if you are having dessert for breakfast.
Even you are about to make jumbo muffins that look like out of a bakery window, you only need one large bowl, one spoon and a plate for the topping. THAT IS ALL!!! Here are the steps to these:
The deal with the buttermilk: if you are an avid baker you probably have heard by now that you can make your own buttermilk by mixing a cup of milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. I like to do this with coconut milk as well because it’s higher fat content. For this recipe I happened to have buttermilk on the fridge, and given that I would be working with cream cheese, I liked the idea of using buttermilk for the tang it brings to the party. You can make the milk vinegar mixture of course, just make sure it sits on the counter for at least 15 minutes after mixed. If using coconut milk like I did in the original muffins recipes, reduce the amount of butter to 4. No matter what you use, the liquid should be at room temperature.
Soften the cream cheese: Take the cream cheese out the fridge to get it softer for when you are going to make the streusel.
Melt the butter so it cools down while you gather the rest of the ingredients. Since you will need melted butter for both components you can melt it all together at the beginning of the process or melt it individually on the microwave.
Everything happens in one bowl: mix very well the flour, baking powder and salt to break any lumps. To use just one bowl, I made a well in the middle of the dry ingredients to mix there the wet ones. So smart! : ) Mix batter according to recipe.
Fresh or frozen: of course you can use frozen blueberries to make muffins. If that’s the case, don’t thaw them. You will mix them with the tablespoon of flour right after when batter is almost mixed up, which is the moment to add them. Incorporate with a folding motion.
A tip for flat bottoms: when it’s time to scoop batter into the muffins wells, remove any blueberries that are popping out of the batter on that first scoop. This way you will be pouring mostly plain batter to the bottom. Add those blueberries that you removed to the muffin tin and keep filling batter until you have reached to the top.
Picking the pan: You can use a jumbo muffin pan or a regular sized cupcake pan. After you fill the pan place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This step is crucial in making the muffins rise high and in its tender texture.
Make the cheesecake streusel while the muffins are in the fridge. Cover them with the streusel right before baking
Bake them warm and crumbly: you will start baking the muffins at 425°. This high heat shock is another step to help muffins rise rapidly. After 7 minutes you will decrease oven temperature to 350° and baking for 20 to 22 minutes. Let the muffins cool down a bit before eating them. You can smear butter or even more cream cheese on them.
This muffins will be good for almost a week so you will have breakfast for a few days. You won’t get tired of eating these for a few days in a row, trust me! They are the best muffins ever!
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Jumbo Blueberry Muffins with Cheesecake Streusel
Ingredients
Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
◯ Buttermilk - ½ cup + 1 TBSP
◯ All-purpose flour, preferably unbleached - 3 cups
◯ Natural granulated sugar - 1 cup
◯ Baking powder - 3 ½ Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt - 1 Tsp
◯ Organic free range eggs - 2
◯ Sour cream - ½ cup
◯ Butter (salted or unsalted), preferably grass-fed - 5 TBSP + 3 TBSP for the streusel, melted and cooled down
◯ Vegetable oil - ½ cup
◯ Blueberries - 2 cups, mixed with a tablespoon of flour to coat them
◯ Extra granulated or Demerara sugar to sprinkle on top
Cheesecake Streusel
◯ Cream cheese, softened - 4 oz. (half box)
◯ Lemon juice - 1 Tsp
◯ All-purpose unbleached flour - ½ cup + 2 TBSP
◯ Natural granulated sugar - ¼ cup
◯ Light brown sugar - 2 TBSP
◯ Graham crackers, crushed - 3 to 4 whole crackers
◯ Butter - 3 TBSP, melted and cooled down (the one already mentioned in the ingredients above)
Details
Yield:
6 to 8 jumbo muffins
Total time:
45 minutes
Active time:
20 minutes
Chilling time:
15 minutes
Baking time:
20 minutes
Equipment:
bowls and measuring cups
Steps
To make the muffins:
Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare a jumbo muffin or regular cupcake pan by lining with jumbo muffins liners and spraying a bit of baking spay on them (optional, just to prevent muffins sticking to the liners when removing them).
In a large bowl mix with a hand whisk the 3 cups of flour, the 1 cup of sugar, the 3 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and the teaspoon of fine sea salt.
Make a large well in the center of the dry ingredients. Dump the 2 eggs in the middle and beat them there, trying not to mix with the flour. Add the ½ cup of sour cream, the melted 5 tablespoons of butter and the ½ cup of vegetable oil and mix to blend these wet ingredients. Pour buttermilk and mix once more.
Using a wooden spoon or silicon spatula, slowly start incorporating the flour into the wet ingredients. Mix everything until small streaks of flour are visible. Add the 2 cups of blueberries already coated with the tablespoon of flour and fold them in the batter. Spoon batter on each lined muffin well and fill to the top, removing any blueberry that pops out of the batter in each first scoop (see notes). Spread batter with a spoon or chopstick to make sure there are no gaps in between the batter and the inside walls of each well. Chill the pan for 15 to 20 minutes for improved texture and rising. In the meantime, prepare the cheesecake streusel.
To make the cheesecake streusel:
In a small bowl mix the 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with the teaspoon of lemon juice.
Put the ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour in a deep dish or shallow. Mix the ¼ cup of granulated sugar and the 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar. Add a few chunks of the cream cheese and with two table knives or forks start to roughly cut it over the flour-sugar mixture until the chunk are well coated. Repeat with the rest of the cream cheese. Pour the 3 tablespoons of cooled and melted butter and roughly mix in. You should have a shaggy mixture. Toss in about ¾ of the roughly crushed graham crackers.
Assembling the muffins:
Take muffins out of the fridge. Cover each muffin with the cheesecake streusel. Sprinkle more crushed cookies on top if desired for a crunchier texture and sprinkle throughly with Demerara or a coarse grain sugar as well. If possible, place in the fridge just for 5 to 10 minutes to get the cream cheese and butter a bit chilled again, but this is optional.
Place them in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 350° and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean of batter after you inserted it on the muffins in the middle.
Remove from oven and let them cool down completely. You can serve them with butter or, why not, more cream cheese sweetened with honey or maple syrup. They can be at room temperature for one day. After that, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat them in a counter top oven at 350° for a few minutes for an extra crunchy top or warm them in the microwave for a softer texture.
