The photo appears to show large blueberry muffins with a generous buttery crumb/streusel topping, baked in tulip-style muffin liners. The exact original recipe can’t be determined from the photo alone, but this version is designed to produce a very similar tall, golden, heavily crumb-topped muffin. Blueberry-streusel recipes commonly use a high-temperature start or a 375–400°F bake to encourage a high rise.
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Food Network
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Yield
12 large muffins
Ingredients
Muffin batter
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup (120 g) sour cream or thick plain yogurt
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
1½ cups (225–250 g) fresh blueberries
1 tbsp flour, for coating the blueberries
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest — optional but highly recommended
Crumb/streusel topping
¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (65 g) brown sugar
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
5 tbsp (70 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
Optional: ⅓ cup (35–40 g) finely chopped walnuts or pecans
A walnut streusel is a documented variation of blueberry streusel muffins; the nuts add crunch and a slightly richer flavor.
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Food Network
Optional bakery finish
1 tbsp coarse sugar for sprinkling
A few extra blueberries for the tops
Method
1. Prepare the streusel
Mix the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Add the cold butter and rub it between your fingertips until you have irregular crumbs ranging from pea-sized to small gravel-sized pieces.
If using walnuts or pecans, mix them in.
Put the streusel in the refrigerator while you make the batter. Keeping it cold helps the topping retain its crumbly texture during baking.
2. Prepare the pan
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with tulip-style liners if you want the appearance shown in your photo.
Regular liners work perfectly too.
For especially large bakery-style muffins, divide the batter generously rather than spreading it thinly between all 12 cups.
3. Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk together:
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
Set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar
Beat the softened butter and sugar for about 3–4 minutes, until noticeably lighter and fluffy.
Don’t skip this step—it helps give the muffins a lighter texture.
5. Add eggs
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the vanilla and lemon zest.
Scrape down the bowl.
6. Add the dairy and flour
Add about half of the flour mixture.
Mix briefly.
Add the sour cream/yogurt and milk.
Add the remaining flour and mix only until the flour disappears.
The batter should be fairly thick.
Do not overmix. Overmixing develops gluten and can make muffins dense or chewy. This is also emphasized in other established blueberry-muffin recipes.
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7. Add blueberries
Toss the blueberries with 1 tbsp flour.
Gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.
The little coating of flour helps reduce sinking and excessive bleeding of berry juice into the batter.
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Food Network
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Frozen blueberries: use them straight from the freezer—do not thaw. Toss them with flour before folding them in. Frozen berries can otherwise release more juice and streak the batter.
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I Heart Eating
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8. Fill the liners
Fill each liner approximately ¾ full, or slightly higher for the large bakery-style appearance.
For the pictured look, you can mound the batter slightly above the normal ¾-full level.
Add a generous handful of streusel to each muffin.
Gently press the crumbs onto the batter so they don’t fall off after baking.
Add a few extra blueberries on top if desired.
9. Bake for tall muffin tops
For a particularly tall bakery-style muffin:
425°F / 220°C — 5 minutes
Then, without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to:
375°F / 190°C — approximately 15–20 minutes
This high-temperature-start method is used in several blueberry-streusel recipes to encourage a higher rise.
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They’re done when:
the tops are golden brown,
the center springs back lightly when touched, and
a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
A toothpick hitting a blueberry may come out wet/purple, so don’t mistake berry juice for raw batter.
10. Cool
Leave the muffins in the pan for 5–10 minutes.
Transfer them to a wire rack.
Let them cool for at least another 15–20 minutes before eating if you want the crumb and blueberries to set properly.
Nut information
If you WANT nuts
For the closest crunchy streusel:
Walnuts: ⅓ cup / 35–40 g, finely chopped
OR
Pecans: ⅓ cup / 35–40 g, finely chopped.
Walnuts are particularly traditional in blueberry streusel toppings; one published version uses ½ cup walnuts in its streusel.
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Food Network
You can also add 1–2 tbsp sliced almonds on top.
If you DON’T want nuts
Simply omit them.
Do not replace the nuts with an equal volume of flour. The streusel will still work without nuts.
If you’re avoiding nuts because of an allergy, use commercially packaged ingredients labeled for your allergy and consider cross-contact from the flour, butter, chocolate, liners, utensils and baking equipment. A recipe being “nut-free” by ingredients does not automatically make a kitchen safe for someone with a severe nut allergy.
Peanut allergy
There are no peanuts required in this recipe. Peanuts are botanically different from tree nuts, but cross-contact is still possible with commercially prepared ingredients.
Tips for the exact look in your photo
Use tulip muffin liners. They allow the batter to rise above the pan.
Make the batter thick, not runny.
Use fresh blueberries where possible.
Fill the cups generously.
Use lots of cold streusel—the photo has a substantial crumb layer.
Don’t overmix after adding flour.
Start hot at 425°F/220°C for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature.
Don’t open the oven during the first 5 minutes.
Let the muffins cool before moving them aggressively; the crumb topping is fragile while hot.
Troubleshooting Q&A
Q: Why did my blueberries sink?
A: The batter may be too loose, the berries may be very wet, or there may not have been enough flour structure. Tossing the berries lightly in flour and using a thick batter helps.
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Food Network
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Q: Can I use frozen blueberries?
A: Yes. Add them frozen, not thawed, and toss them with flour first.
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I Heart Eating
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Q: Why did my muffins turn purple/grey?
A: Frozen or crushed blueberries can release juice into the batter. Fold them in gently and avoid thawing frozen berries.
Q: Why aren’t my muffins tall?
A: Common causes are overmixing, an oven that isn’t fully preheated, too little batter in each cup, or excessive liquid. The 425°F → 375°F baking method can help produce a higher crown.
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stetted
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Q: Why did my streusel melt?
A: The butter was probably too warm or the crumbs were too fine. Use cold butter and refrigerate the prepared streusel before topping the muffins.
Q: Can I substitute yogurt for sour cream?
A: Yes. Use thick, plain, unsweetened yogurt at approximately the same quantity.
Q: Can I use oil instead of butter?
A: You can, but the texture and flavor will change. Butter gives both the muffin and streusel a richer bakery-style flavor.
Q: Can I make these without eggs?
A: Yes, but egg-free substitutions change the texture. For this particular tall, rich muffin, I’d use a tested egg-free muffin formula rather than simply removing the eggs.
Q: How long do they keep?
A: They’re best the day they’re baked. Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2–3 days. For longer storage, freeze them; some established blueberry-muffin recipes recommend freezing for up to 3 months.
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Anna Olson
Q: Can I prepare the batter the night before?
A: It’s possible with some muffin formulas, but for the tallest and freshest result, I recommend preparing the streusel ahead and mixing/baking the batter the same day.
Q: What if I only have a 6-cup muffin pan?
A: Bake in batches. Keep the unused batter cool while the first batch bakes, rather than leaving it somewhere warm for a long time.
Q: Can I make mini muffins?
A: Yes. Reduce the baking time substantially and start checking early.
Quick formula
Soft blueberry muffin + thick buttery streusel + optional walnuts/pecans + 425°F high-rise start → 375°F finish.
That combination will get you very close to the large, golden, crumb-covered blueberry muffins shown in the photograph.