Cooking Lesson #361: Coffee Cake Muffins & Tops

…from the California Kitchen

​How you doin’? Are you a Seinfeld fan? I’ve seen some shows so often I can recite the lines. Do you remember the one where Elaine's former boss steals her million-dollar muffin tops idea, while Kramer promotes a bus tour trying to give away all the leftover bottoms without much success? 
 
Well you can ask anyone and they’ll tell you, the best part of any muffin, arguably, is the top inch or so. Just pop the top where a heaping forkful will get you both the tender cake and the crunchy streusel topping. It’s always tempting to save that part for last giving you time to savor the texture. With this recipe we have some of the top in the middle where the streusel is baked all the way through the muffin, so every bite is the best bite.
 
The batter is made with sour cream or plain yogurt, so it has a nice moist crumb and a natural tanginess that complements the sweet cinnamon-brown sugar crunch of the streusel. The muffins are rich, moist and flavorful… they’re the perfect last-minute brunch treat, coffee companion, afternoon snack, or after dinner treat.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Bake time:  25 minutes
Yield:  12 muffins
 
Ingredients
For the streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 
For the muffins
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (or substitute plain yogurt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Directions
Getting started

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F and adjust a rack to the middle position.
2. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or prep them with non-stick cooking spray.

To make the streusel

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Use a fork or your fingers to mash the streusel into a paste that resembles wet sand. Set aside.

To make the muffins

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, oil, and sugar with an electric mixer until all incorporated.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between additions, until the mixture is smooth and all the ingredients are incorporated.
4. Add the sour cream and mix until just incorporated.
5. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a thick batter forms.
6. Divide half of the batter among the muffin cups. Place a tablespoon of the streusel in the middle of each cup, leaving the batter exposed around the edges.
7. Cover the streusel with the remaining batter.
8. Finish by topping the muffins with the remaining streusel.
9. Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
10. Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
11. Serve warm.

ChefSecret:  Dress your muffins up a bit… toss in some pecan pieces into the streusel or add some fresh blueberries or chocolate chips to the batter.

Quip of the Day: “Silly you! You thought dogs were hard to train? Just look at all the humans who can’t sit, stay or remember to wear their friggin’ face coverings”
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