The Parts that Matter: Very Berry Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Friends, today is a day worth celebrating. (I know, I say that every day…) But, seriously this time!! Today is National Muffin Day! For The Bread and Breakfast, it all started with these guys. It was only after making these four different banana bread muffins that I was able to start selling at events, selling in stores, and have a bit more faith in writing my own recipes. Let’s face it, muffins are a pretty big deal. That’s probably why I prefer to make them jumbo… 

Now, I can tell a lot about a person by the way they eat a muffin. There’s one way in particular that you can eat it which shows the potential for us being lifelong friends: top first. Come on now, tell me that the top isn’t the best part. Crumbly, crunchy, soft. Just so many reasons why it’s the best part of the muffin. One might even argue that it’s the only part worth eating! Depending on the muffins top, I may or may not be part of that team.

Most bakers who agree, tend to be owners of fancy muffin top pans. I, however, am not that fancy. What I do own however, is a ton of mason jars. In the past, I’d heard of lids to these jars being used to make mini pies, mini cakes, mini lots of things. Today, I figured, why not muffin tops? Hence, today’s celebratory concoction: Very Berry Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops! These guys are made from my classic quick bread recipe (see here and here), but have a little pizazz on top to make them classic muffin tops. Let’s get started!

You’ll start by simply mixing together your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, you’ll whisk your sugars and egg together first. We’ll be going with an even split of brown sugar and granulated sugar here, as these are meant to be more light and fruity as opposed to warm fall flavor/molasses-y tasting (if that’s a word). Then, you’ll add your oil, buttermilk (remember how important it is!!), and vanilla extract.

Up next, the dry ingredients can slowly become friends with the wet. When it comes to flavoring your base, you have SO many options! SO. MANY. I, myself, had a really hard time making a choice here. I thought about classics like blueberry muffins, chocolate chip muffins, peaches and cream muffins, the list goes on. I decided to go with the most indecisive decision I could make and add in strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate chips. Let your heart go wild here though, and feel free to use 3/4 cups of any kind of add-ins you want. 

The batter can now be scooped into the jar lids, which will have been sprayed in advance, and will have had the removable part of the lid flipped so that the medal side is facing up. Try to fill them about 3/4 of the way full, or else they’ll overflow and be messy to clean up after. Top them with the streusel, and then bake these at 375 degrees first,  then at 350 degrees until they are golden brown. The reason we are baking them at a higher temperature first, is that the higher temperature will cause the baking soda to be kicked into action really early in the game and puff up those muffin tops nicely. 


And there you have it friends; the perfect way to celebrate this holiday. Hint hint, these are even more perfect when you drizzle on a little glaze and sprinkle on a little more decorating sugar to get that classic muffin top texture. Next Wednesday, we’re celebrating another iconic holiday: National Pancake Day. But, before then, on what I now like to call Savory Saturday, we’re chatting about my new favorite way to eat pasta!

Until then, stay tuned and stay hungry!

Erin 

 

Very Berry Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops
Yields 10
These muffin tops allow you to enjoy the best part of the muffin, all by itself! These guys are incredibly easy to make and super customizable!
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Muffin Tops
  1. 1 cup all purpose flour
  2. 1/2 tsp baking soda
  3. 1/4 tsp salt
  4. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  5. 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  6. 2 TBS brown sugar
  7. 1 egg
  8. 1/4 cup oil
  9. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  10. 3/4 cup add-ins (split evenly between chocolate chips, strawberries, and blueberries)
Crumble
  1. 1/4 cup flour
  2. 2 TBS butter, cold and cubed
  3. 2 TBS granulated sugar
  4. dash of cinnamon
Glaze
  1. 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  2. 2 TBS milk
  3. 1 tsp vanilla
Crumble
  1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon.
  2. Cut small pieces of butter in, and mix.
  3. Use finger tips to massage the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbles. Refrigerate while making batter.
Muffin Tops
  1. Combine the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugars and egg, until completely combined.
  3. Add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
  4. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet slowly, being careful not to miss any clumps or overmix the batter.
  5. Fold in berries and chocolate chips.
  6. Scoop into mason jar lids, until lids are 3/4 of the way full. For wide mouth lids, this takes approximately 1/4 cup of batter.
  7. Sprinkle crumble on top. (You'll have some extra.)
  8. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes, and then 350 degrees for 7-8 more minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are slightly golden brown and bounce back after being touched.**
Glaze
  1. Combine all ingredients until there are no longer clumps of powdered sugar. Drizzle over muffins...be generous!
Notes
  1. **Baking times may vary if you use a lid that is not wide mouthed.
The Bread and Breakfast http://thebreadandbreakfast.com/

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