Blueberry muffins with a slightly crunchy and sweet topping. Yum.

July’s seasonal pleasures: Carting home a 5-pound box of Michigan blueberries from the local Kroger…grabbing a handful of the berries to munch plain…baking with my favorite fruit.

Despite the heat wave this morning I couldn’t just let the blueberries sit there, waiting for the temperature to drop. So I whipped up a batch of these favorites for breakfast. They’re a twist on blueberry muffins from food writer Kate Lawson of The Detroit News. The little sprinkling of sweet topping makes a delish difference.

Blueberry Streusel Puffs

Makes one dozen

Preheat oven to 400 F

Puffs
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 or 1=1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 1-1/2 cups)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture.
Fold in blueberries.
Place batter in 12 well-greased or paper lined muffin cups.

Make crumbly topping and sprinkle on puffs.

Mix all together and cut butter into mixture until crumbly. Divide evenly over puffs.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove puffs from pan to cooling rack.
Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from tin.

I had my coffee ready but this a.m. I reached for a glass of cold milk to go with the muffin.

All stories and photos copyright Kath Usitalo unless otherwise noted