Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Next on the menu for my Thank-You muffin marathon were these amazing blueberry streusel muffins. I felt like I needed a good tried-and-true flavor to go with some of the more adventurous flavors I had going with the other muffins, and these guys totally fit the bill. Even though they weren't the overall favorite everyone said they enjoyed them, and one of my professors (who claims to be a blueberry muffin connoisseur) apparently spent the day trying to talk everyone else into giving him theirs.

But even if you're not a blueberry muffin expert, everyone loves a good blueberry muffin. Soft and subtly sweet with a few sour pops of juicy blueberries... no one can resist a good one. But this is no ordinary blueberry muffin recipe, friends. This is quite possibly the blueberry muffin recipe. This muffin is moist and crumbly and chock full of blueberries, with just a light hint of lemon. I won't lie... it's less like a muffin and more like an individual lemon-blueberry pound cake. And oh boy is it comforting. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk, and you just might forget about that 3 o'clock deadline.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
from Joy of Baking
yields 16-18 small muffins

Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 16-18 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a measuring cup, mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or a fork, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove one cup of this mixture to another bowl and reserve for streusel topping.
4. To the remaining mixture, gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest. Add the milk mixture to this mixture and stir just until combined.
5. For the streusel topping, combine the two tablespoons of melted butter and the reserved flour mixture and mix until it is crumbly and resembles coarse meal.
6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Pour water into the empty cups to prevent the pan from warping while baking. Sprinkle desired amount of streusel topping over the top of each muffin (there should be plenty). Bake 18-22 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the baking pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.