Blauwebessen muffin met Streusel

 I thought I would give a little bit of a German twist to my Blauwebessen ( Blueberry) muffins. Top it with streusel! If you have been following my website for a while, you will know that I lived in Germany when I married my husband and even though we live in The Netherlands now, my husband likes to have his fill of German goodies. Generally, he visits every week but with the pandemic, he hasn't  been able to go for a year now which means I try and bake or cook whatever he feels like eating once in a while. Of course, they are not as good as oma's or the traditional bakeries there but they are enough to keep us happy! I have been using Kefir quite a lot for some time now. Not just to drink regularly but also in my baking. I find the texture of my cakes and muffins actually come out better and the taste is no different. Given how nutritious it is, it is a win-win. If you have never tasted it, it tastes a bit like buttermilk but the consistency is a bit thicker. More like a smoothie. Even though I am lactose - intolerant mostly, Kefir, Buttermilk and Yoghurt do not seem to upset my stomach.  I am grateful because calcium is much needed specially as we grow older and our bones start to get weaker. I prefer if  my diet meet my daily requirements instead of chemicals or supplements. 

Here's how to make these goodies -

Ingredients  for muffins -

1. 5 teacups of Blueberries

1/4 teacup sugar (more if you like extra sweet)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup olive oil ( olive oil makes them dense which we like. You can choose vegetable oil if you prefer) 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 medium sized egg at room temperature

1 teacup flour

3/4 teacup almond flour

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoons black poppy seeds ( it gives a nice crunch to the dish)

3/4 teacup Kefir. If you don't have access to Kefir use, thick Buttermilk.

 For the Streusel ( crunchy topping)

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon powder

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla powder

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1  tablespoon melted ghee/ unsalted butter

Sliced almonds flakes

Method

Let's start with the muffins -

In a bowl, mix flour, almond flour, lemon zest, poppy seeds , vanilla powder, baking soda and baking powder. 

In another big bowl, break the egg, add the sugar and beat well. 

Next add the oil and kefir. Mix well. 

Gently stir in the first bowl (dry) contents into the wet (egg-kefir) bowl and fold in instead of beating in. 

Last, add the blueberries and gently fold in. 

Pour the mix into muffin trays making sure you only fill till a little over the half way mark in each section. This will give each muffin space to rise. 

Now on to the Streusel 

Mix the flour, cinnamon, vanilla powder, sugar. Slowly add melted ghee to this mix and using your fingers make this into crumbs. 

Put little of this mix on top of each muffin batter. Add the almond flakes on top. I like to crush them slightly and add them. 

In a pre-heated oven that is set at 200 degrees C, allow to bake for 25 minutes. In my Bosch oven, they start rising well and the berries start oozing juices at 15 minutes but for the tops to brown slightly, it takes about 22 minutes. I would recommend  starting to keep a watch at 15-17 minutes. I always place the muffin trays in the centre rack.

Hope you enjoy these muffins just as much as we do. They stay good in air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Microwave on high for 15 seconds before serving. They taste good on their own, with whipped cream or with a cup of tea. 

Thank you.