Cinnamon Streusel Blueberry Muffins

It was our week to bring breakfast/snack for our small group at church, and after a Saturday full of service projects I thought it would be nice to bring a homemade treat to share.  Muffins seemed like the perfect answer.  And with all the fresh berries loading the grocer's produce department, I could feel the blueberries calling my name.  But, I wanted something with a little more pizazz than the standard blueberry muffin.  I was picturing something with a crispy, flavorful top.  It was time to hit the Google button; where I quickly found these little delights at www.allrecipes.com :  Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, diced

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Combine 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons flour over blueberries, and set aside. (This simple trick will keep you from having "purple" batter)
3. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, and stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries. Remember, fold gently, don't stir. Spoon batter into prepared cups.
4. Combine 2 tablespoons flour, 5 tablespoons sugar ,and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in muffin cups.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack

I doubled the recipe and made two batches, making enough to take for our group and keep some at home.  I also reduced the amount of blueberries slightly.  And added a pinch of cinnamon to the dry ingredients in the batter mix.

They turned out big, moist, and delicious!  Which is why I felt obligated to share the recipe with all of you. :)

The original recipe mentions that these freeze and reheat well.  There are a dozen packaged up in my freezer for future tasting, so we shall see. 

Enjoy!