Earl Grey Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Time: 30 Minutes

from Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: Recipes from My Barn in the Mountains

by Tieghan Gerard

When my youngest brother, Red, was in kindergarten, I was in seventh grade and would get home from school before he did. On Fridays, I liked to surprise him with the blueberries that came packed in a can. I swore that’s what made the muffins so good. These days, though, I do most of my baking from scratch.

This version has the slightest hint of Earl Grey tea and is loaded with fresh blueberries that burst while baking, making the berries even sweeter and more delicious. Finish with a generous amount of cinnamon streusel and you’ll have the tastiest muffin - maybe even better than Red’s after-school snack.

Ingredients

for 15 to 18 servings

15 to 18

1 cupwhole milk

3Earl Grey tea bags

1/2 cupcanola oil

1/2 cuphoney

1/2 cuplight brown sugar, packed

1/2 cupplain Greek yogurt

2 tsppure vanilla extract

1large egg

2egg yolks

3 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour

2 tspbaking powder

1 tspkosher salt

2 cupsfresh blueberries

4 tbspsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 tspground cinnamon

1/4 cupwalnuts or pecans, chopped

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 15 to 18 wells of two muffin tins with paper liners.

Step 2

In a small saucepan, brink the milk to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, then immediately remove the pan from the heat - don not allow the milk to boil. Add the tea bags and steep for about 15 minutes, then discard the tea bags.

Step 3

In a large bowl, combine the canola oil, honey, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, the yogurt, vanilla, egg, and egg yolks and stir until evenly mixed and pale in color. Add the steeped milk and stir to combine. Add 3 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and stir until just combined. Gently fold the bluberries into the batter, taking care not to overmix (otherwise the batter will turn blue). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them three-quarters of the way full.

Step 4

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, the butter, cinnamon, and nuts. Mix together with your hands until a crumbly mixture forms. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter, dividing it evenly.