Blueberry Streusel Muffins

These are part of my favorite breakfast....probably because it's practially the same things as cake, but it's called a muffin, so I don't feel the least be guilty about it. Also, they are FABULOUS with coffee (the whole, bittersweet thing, like coffee and chocolate cake...mmmm).

Now for the best part - this is a double-duty recipe, just leave out the fruit and the streusel topping and you have what my family likes to call "Sweet Muffins." I make my aunt's "Sweet Muffins all the time to accompany dinner (I like to replace 1/4 c of the flour for 1/4 c of cornmeal for that particular rendition).

What you'll need for the muffins:

1 1/2 c self-rising flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c milk
1/2 c oil
1 egg
1 c blueberries (fresh or frozen, but rinsed either way)

What you'll need for the topping (the best part!)

2 T butter (COLD!)
1/4 c flour
2 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl, and set aside.  Mix the milk, oil, and egg together, then add to dry ingredients (this will keep you from over mixing the batter, which is important because if you've ever wondered why a muffin look like a little mountain instead of having a nice rounded top, it's from over-worked batter).  Mix just until mostly moistened, then add the rinsed blueberries (if you don't rinse your fresh blueberries you're putting pesticides in your muffins, and that's certainly not kosher! ha! but also, if you don't rinse your frozen berries they will turn your batter purple, which I suppose, is fine, if that's what you're goin for).

Scoop the batter into a muffin pan...I prefer to line mine, then grease the liners, which I thought everyone did, but recently found out that's not the case, so let me just say, I highly recommend it!
And as for the whole, "2/3 full" rule, I fill 'em up as much as I can! 

Now, for the best part (and super-easy I might add)!  Put the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a food processor (if you don't have a processor you can put them into a small bowl and use a fork to crumble them up), then pulse just a few times until it starts to crumble...then STOP.  If you keep going it will turn into paste (this will also happen if your butter has softened at all)...which is not nearly as easy to put onto the muffins, and just really not what you're going for in texture, though, of course, the flavor will be exactly the same. Take the blade out and give it a little stir with a spoon to mix in any flour that is still on the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle it all over the muffins (see the pic above on the right).

So, stick 'em in the oven for about 15-20 min, until they're golden brown and once again you're house smells AMAZING!  Then brew yourself a cup of coffe, and dig in!  Try 'em out and let me know what ya think!